Within Temptation: The Art of Possession
by mayghaen17
Summary: Damon has a plan to drive a wedge between Elena and Stefan by influencing her dreams; making her think of him and him alone.  However, when Elena catches him in the act, it changes everything.  AU.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: alright, you can read my note after the chapter if you want.**

**First of all, thank you to Zoraya Windwalker for being my beta yet again :) you're amazing!**

**as far as the background for this story: there are no tomb vampires, there's no council or anything like that. Katherine and a few others came to Mystic Falls way back when and met their death(?). Elena hasn't found the picture of Katherine...yet... Grams isn't dead and Bonnie's still a good friend of Elena. Elena doesn't know she's adopted either and I'm not sure if Isobel's going to come about in this story. If I forgot something and you want to know about it, feel free to ask me.**

**AND I'M WARNING YOU ALL, THERE WILL BE S/E ACTION (trust me, it was the hardest thing I've ever had to write in my life!) Stefan=ugh, but it was necessary and there won't be that much of it. This story IS Delena :) and because Love Never Dies didn't have Delena action until the end, this story more than makes up for it :)

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ONE

The flickering candles on the exterior of the house casted ghostly shadows on the porch. She stood there, watching the flames dance in the slight breeze. She could hear the faint sound of a piano drifting across the air from somewhere inside the mansion that stood before her. The party was already in full swing; just the right time for her to make a dramatic entrance. A secretive smile graced her lips as she gathered her skirts and began to ascend the stairs. As she approached the door, it opened on its own accord, not fazing her in the least as she continued from the foyer down to the ballroom where the music was coming from.

She paused just outside the ballroom doors to stare at her reflection in the floor length mirror. Her eyes swept down to the skirt of her gown and she gave a small sigh of dissatisfaction. Normally she loved dresses like these, with the ruffled skirts and corset bodice, but it didn't seem right. Her dress hugged her every curve, the corset bodice accentuating her top half, giving her hourglass shape more depth. The skirt flared out at the hips, trailing down to the floor to hide her feet. Her hands went up to her face to fix the mask that shielded her identity from the others. It had been custom made; just for her. The material resembled bronze and silver colored leaves, the colors matching her dress, shaped into a butterfly. She smiled widely as she touched the edge of the mask, completely satisfied with that part of her ensemble.

Her head turned towards the ballroom as the piano fell silent for a few beats then began playing another song. She waited for the song to pick up before gathering her skirts. She continued to the ballroom where the doors opened by themselves again. She stopped just beyond the threshold at the sight of _him_. She had been expecting a room full of dancers getting lost in the music, but there were only the two of them.

He stood in the middle of the room with a playful smirk visible beneath the mask that rested on the bridge of his nose. He held his arms out to her, signaling he wanted her to join him. She hesitated, contemplating whether or not she should give in to her desire to dance or the urge to run from impending doom. She grinned and inclined her head to him before moving further into the room. She approached him and curtsied. He returned her gesture with a bow and took her into his arms before she could protest.

She laughed as he began to waltz her around the room. The piano was playing softly in the background leaving her to focus on nothing but him and the way she felt in his arms. It felt different, there was something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on. As he dipped her in time with the music, she began to care less and less. The music in the background became louder, dictating the style of dance. They had started out dancing slowly, but as the tempo picked up, so did he. Before she knew it, they were spinning around the room while keeping perfect time.

As the piano picked up to an impossibly fast pace, she lost her footing which sent them spiraling into the wall. She laughed loudly at her mistake and his chest rumbled with laughter as he pinned her to the wall with his body to keep her upright. The room was still spinning and she closed her eyes to make it stop. Her chest heaved against the corset, trying to get a deep breath to stop her heart from beating erratically.

When she finally was able to catch her breath, she opened her eyes to look at him. The intensity of those steel blue eyes protruding from behind the mask made something deep within her stir, something she thought she had lost long ago. Her smile faded as he dipped his head to place his lips gently over hers. She felt her body tense in response, unsure of her instincts to return the kiss. His tongue swept across her lips, asking for entrance. She shuddered at the action and felt them parting as an automatic response. Her hands rose to rest on his hips while his clutched her sides. As she began to relax and give in to his sweet kisses, he pulled away and disappeared into the crowd.

She blinked in surprise, suddenly feeling cold and alone as she looked at the people dancing in time with the music. _When did the others arrive?_ she asked herself, narrowing her eyes in curiosity. Her eyes scanned the crowd for where he could have gone to and saw a door still swinging slightly as though someone had just used it. She smiled and began moving towards it.

She stood just behind the doorframe and inhaled deeply at the scent of fresh air. Her head moved so she could see what lie in wait for her outside the door. After sensing no immediate danger, she stepped outside and down the few stairs attached to the porch. Something shifted in the air and as she turned back to look at the mansion she had just vacated, it was no longer there. In its place was a thick and luscious forest. She shivered and slowly turned around. Everywhere she looked were trees of all sizes and varieties, but the mansion was nowhere to be found.

After a single step forward, she stopped moving. Surprise at the feel of fresh grass beneath her bare feet held her immobile as she tried to figure out what was going on. She looked around, waiting for him to come to her again and explain things, but couldn't find anything. The sound of a twig snapping not far from where she stood filled her ears. She was beyond logic, the voice in her head telling her to run was gone, allowing her to walk forward to investigate the source of the sound.

She paused again as she came across a clearing illuminated by the moon and hundreds of fireflies. She stared in awe at the sight and moved forward before she realized what she was doing. She turned in slow circles as she watched the fireflies twinkling like the stars above. Reality began to settle in when she bumped into something behind her. She pulled away and turned to see someone watching her. He wasn't wearing a mask, but she could tell it was not the same person she had danced with only minutes ago. His green eyes were full of sorrow and regret as they stared at her. She wanted to reach out to him and ask what was bothering him, but his eyes moved to look past her shoulder.

She stepped back and followed his gaze to see the man she had danced with. He was watching her with a glimmer of arrogance and admiration in his blue eyes as she put more distance between herself and the other man. She was standing directly between them, forming a triangle. She stared at the two of them equally; the green-eyed one felt more familiar and seemed...safer, somehow. Even though his eyes were silently begging her to come to him, he remained still as a statue. She wanted to go with him, but as she turned to look at the man in the mask, she couldn't help but feel pulled towards the mysterious aura that he possessed. It captivated her, drawing her in like a moth to a flame.

Slowly, she began walking towards the masked man. A triumphant smirk returned to his lips as she closed the gap between them. She extended her hand to him and he took it, raising it gently to his lips. As her hand returned to her side, she took her place next to him and watched as the other man walked away. His head hung in defeat and she only felt the slightest bit sorry for him as he disappeared from their view.

She turned to face the man at her side and a moment of fear coursed through her when he wasn't there anymore. She gasped in surprise as fingers brushed the side of her neck in the process of sweeping her long dark hair to one side, exposing her throat to him. He bent down from behind her and kissed her skin gently; another shiver cascading down her spine. She felt a series of tugs at her bodice before his fingers reached up to touch her shoulders. She inhaled deeply, finding she could breathe easier since he had untied the strings of her corset. Her breath quickened as his fingers dipped beneath the straps of the dress and slid them down her arms.

She remained motionless as he pushed the dress, slip and all, down until they pooled around her feet. The gentle breeze teased her skin as he pressed himself against her back. He reached in front of her so that he could he cup both of her bare breasts in his hands. As his thumbs stroked her nipples, his lips returned to her throat. Both actions caused her body to ignite with desire. She had never felt so alive before and the more he touched her, the more she trembled. One of his hands began to glide down her stomach, pausing for a moment at her midriff. Her eyes half closed as she waited for that final descent. Her head fell back onto his chest once his fingers found her core.

A moan escaped her lips as he teased her with his lips at her throat and his fingers further south. The rhythm of her breathing increased even more as he slipped one finger inside of her. His lips parted against her skin, the feel of his teeth scraping her flesh made her groan in anticipation. She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes tightly as he added yet another finger. Her head swam with the beginnings of her release as he licked the curve of her neck in harmony with his fingers thrusting inside of her. She let out a startled cry as his teeth replaced his tongue and bit down on her flesh. The cry quickly turned into a moan of pleasure at the onset of her release.

When she came down from her high, she found herself straddling his waist as he lay on the ground beneath her. She blinked and looked around, trying to remember how they had gotten to this position. He reached up to cup her face, forcing her to focus her attention on him. A small smile appeared on her lips as she locked her gaze with his; their masks keeping each other from knowing exactly who the other person was. She put her hands on his chest, flattening her palms against his skin as he pulled himself up into a sitting position.

He brought her lips to his and kissed her. Unlike the playful kiss he had given her in the ballroom, this one was demanding and full of lust. She returned it greedily, barely having time to wonder when he had had time to undress before she felt him enter her. She moaned against his lips and pulled away to tip her head back. Her eyes rolled in ecstasy as he raised one of her breasts to his lips and began to tease her. Her hips moved in sync with his as he continued to drive into her repeatedly.

As the world began to spin again, she tilted her head in his direction and cupped his face firmly. She brought her lips down to his and kissed him wildly while he placed his hands on her hips and held her securely in place. As her vision began to blur from the rising feeling of bliss, she moved her hands up to remove the mask from his face. She pushed it upwards slowly and then pulled it away from him, letting it fall to the ground. She gasped as she recognized his face and cried out as she began to come for him.

"Damon..." she whispered as he sent her hurtling towards the stars.

* * *

Elena's eyes snapped open as she bolted into a sitting position on her bed. One hand rose to cover her mouth as the other went over the place where her heart was pounding inside her chest. Her ears were ringing against the eerie silence of her room and her head was still spinning as she relived her dream. Her body trembled as she closed her eyes, still able to feel his skin against hers.

Her hands fell heavily to the comforter around her waist and clenched the material. She gave a cry of frustration and fell back against the pillows. She scolded herself for dreaming of Damon. She was with Stefan; _in love_ with him. It wasn't like she was in control of her dreams, but she liked to think that her dream-self had some morals. She sighed, _apparently not_. Her eyes closed against the memory of Stefan's pained expression before leaving her with Damon in the clearing.

She opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling. She had her arms pinned to her sides, refusing to let herself move or think about the dream anymore. Even if her body was demanding that she do something about the intensity of it. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no way she would be able to fall back to sleep tonight. Not after a dream like that...

* * *

Damon smirked from his perch outside Elena's window. He enjoyed hearing her moan in response to his touches. Even if it had been a dream, it was all he could get for now. The moment she woke up calling out his name was like a little slice of paradise for him. He had even given her a choice; go with Stefan, or stay with him. She had chosen him.

Again, it was a dream, but dreams were the place where people acted out their innermost desires, weren't they?

He smirked even more at that thought and waited until he heard her breathing become steady, indicating that she had fallen asleep again. He toyed with the idea of entering her mind again, but decided against it. One small victory for the night was enough for him. Instead, he dared to go inside and watch her sleep a little before departing. He walked to her side and tenderly traced her cheekbone with his forefinger.

He snatched his hand away as she moaned again. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he smiled. Could she be dreaming of him again without any help? Unable to resist the temptation that was within his grasp, he leaned down and delicately placed his lips over hers. He had always wondered what it would be like to kiss her outside of the dream world. His eyes closed, reveling in the softness of her lips. He half hoped that she would wake up and share this kiss with him.

He stepped back and when he opened his eyes, he felt a jolt course through his body. Elena's gorgeous brown eyes were open and staring back at him, trying to figure out if she should scream or not. Startled to the core, Damon took off without saying a word, leaving Elena to stare out the open window, wondering what the hell had happened.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: thank you to everyone who reviewed, put me on alerts, and favorited this :) that makes me feel awesome. When I first wrote this story, I was aiming for a oneshot...but apparently, I'm not very cut at those, sooooo I continued. Enjoy!**

TWO

Elena sat at one of the benches in front of school, waiting for Stefan to find her before class. Since Damon left, she had been wide awake, giving her that motivation to get to school as early as she possibly could. She shuddered, just thinking about the previous night made her feel filthy, if not a little violated. The sound of Damon's name in her own voice echoed through her mind as if someone was yelling in her ears with a megaphone. Her back arched ever so slightly against her will as she vividly relived the reason for calling out his name. She bit her bottom lip to keep in any noises that were trying to get past her lips.

Once the scene shifted to the startled look on Damon's face when he saw that she was awake for his real-life kiss, her eyes snapped open, bringing her back to reality. She put her head in her hands, groaned in frustration, and forced herself to her feet. She grabbed her backpack and started walking away from the bench and back to her car. As she rounded the corner of the building to the parking lot, she collided with Stefan, his books falling to the ground around their feet. "Sorry," she muttered, the two of them bending down to pick them up.

When they stood back up, he looked at her with concern, especially since she refused to meet his eyes. "Are you okay?"

She nodded feebly. "It's been a long night. Want to ditch first hour with me?" she asked, already on the path to her car again.

"Ditch?" he asked, catching up to her. He pulled her to a stop and lifted her chin up so he could see her eyes and the bags beneath them. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so good."

She smiled lightly and stepped back. "I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Why?"

She dug through her purse to find her keys. "Ditch with me and I'll tell you," she said, knowing she would have to alter the truth just a bit.

She looked back up at him to see the faint trace of a smile on his lips and he nodded curtly. "Where would you like to go?" he asked, following her to her car.

"Coffee," was her only reply. Once the car started, she turned the radio up, signaling she didn't want to talk about it until she was done driving. She wasn't so sure coffee would help considering she drank almost a full pot by herself since Damon had left. The thought of his name caused her fingers to grip the steering wheel. Stefan heard the groan of the leather and narrowed his eyes at her white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. His gaze swept up to her face and he could see the inner turmoil she was going through. He reached out and put his hand on her arm making her jump in surprise. Instead of turning down the radio to tell him what was bothering her, she took one hand off of the wheel and laced their fingers together, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Still, he was worried about her.

She pulled up to the town's main square and they walked, hand-in-hand, to the coffee shop. Once she had her coffee, she led him outside to one of the bistro sets and sat down. "Are you sure you need any more coffee?" he asked as she took a very long sip. He could tell by the irregular beat of her heart and the jittery movement of her body that she had already had more than enough.

She barely noticed the liquid as it scalded her throat on its way down. To her, it seemed like a reminder that this was real; that she wasn't dreaming. She smiled lightly at him and put the cup onto the table so she could look at him, nodding her answer to his question. "Yeah, I need it," she muttered, mostly to herself.

He looked around to make sure they were alone and then settled his gaze back on her. "Now will you talk to me?"

He noticed the way her fingers drummed absently on the tops her thighs as she attempted to look him straight in the eye. _What is bothering her_? he thought, his brows furrowing in her direction. "Can..." she started and then clamped her lips closed. She was having trouble with the phrasing. In the end, she blurted it out. "Can vampires influence people's dreams?"

The moment she heard the string of curses that left Stefan's lips, Elena instantly regretted telling him anything. Of course he would assume Damon had something to do with it. Granted, this _was_ Damon's fault, but she still didn't want Stefan to know that. "What did Damon do?" he asked through clenched teeth. She saw his hands ball into fists as they rested on his legs.

She shook her head and smiled. "No, this has nothing to do with Damon."

His brow arched. "Elena..."

"I'm serious Stefan. I was watching this movie on _Chiller_ last night and the vampire could influence his victims dreams." She paused to inspect him. She felt a wave of relief roll through her as his body relaxed, indicating that he was buying her story. It wasn't a complete lie, there had been some cheesy vampire movie on last night. She tuned in because she was curious to see how much they knew. She shrugged, trying to act casual. "I know you said not to believe anything I see or read, but I figured since I know one..." she let her voice trail off and tipped her head at him.

At that, Stefan relaxed and sat back in the chair. He vaguely remembered Damon watching something on TV last night that matched her description. He nodded at her, thinking of how to word his answer. "Power is something that every vampire has. It comes in all varieties depending on the lifestyle the vampire chooses."

She took another long drink of her coffee and sighed when he didn't elaborate any further. "Meaning...?"

"The truer we are to our nature, the more Power we possess," was all he said before dropping his gaze to the table.

Elena put her hands around her drink, letting the heat seep into her fingertips. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. The only thing she had ever seen him do in the supernatural sense other than speed was compulsion. Even that didn't work all the time for him due to his preference for animal blood. She moved her hands to the middle of the table and angled them so her palms were up, fingers beckoning for him to put his hands in hers. He obliged and smiled faintly at her.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" he asked, breaking the silence that hung over them.

"That stupid movie," she returned and grinned. "It wasn't that scary, but I guess knowing that vampires aren't just science fiction got to me after all."

He tried to pull his hands out of hers, but she refused to let go. "This is my fault."

"Stefan, it was a nightmare; it had nothing to do with you." Even as she said that, she was plagued with the image of how he looked when she had chosen to take Damon over him. She pulled her hands away before she could stop herself and drank more of her coffee.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her yet again.

"Yes, why?"

"You're nervous and jittery. I know you've had a lot of coffee, but still."

She bit her lip and nodded, playing with the now empty cup in her hands. "I think I got two or three hours of sleep. Every time I tried to fall asleep after that, I kept seeing this horrible image over and over again so I decided to go downstairs. I intended on having a cup to keep me up through the night but I ended up drinking the whole damn pot."

His eyes widened in surprise. "That must have been one hell of a nightmare."

She shuddered, her eyes closing involuntarily at the images that danced behind her lids. Her knees snapped together in attempt to keep her legs from trembling. She sucked in a sharp breath and nodded. "You have no idea," she muttered, momentarily forgetting he could hear her no matter how quiet she tried to be.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She nodded despite the word that came out of her mouth. "No."

"No?" he repeated, confused by her mixed signals. "Do you remember it?"

"Vividly," she replied and looked at him shyly. She cleared her throat and got up to throw the coffee cup away. "It was just one of those nightmares where it felt so real. Have you ever had one of those?"

"Occasionally."

"Do you even dream as a vampire?" she asked curiously as they walked back to her car.

"Not often, but when I do, they are vivid. Maybe not lifelike as you said yours was, but close to it."

"Hm." She let that thought mull around in her head as they got into her car. "I really don't want to go to school."

"We can go back to the boarding house," he suggested.

"No," she said just a tad too quickly, earning a quizzical glance from him. "No," she repeated a little softer.

"Your house then?"

She nodded. "Thanks for not trying to talk me out of ditching."

He placed his hand on her arm, slowly rubbing small circles onto her skin with his thumb. "You're welcome." Neither of them spoke until they were in her house. "What would you like to do?" he asked, pulling her close to him just inside the threshold of the foyer.

Elena wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed, pressing her cheek against his. "I really, really want..." she breathed.

"Yes?" he asked, running his hands up and down her back.

"To sleep," she finished, pulling away to show him the humor that was sparkling in her chocolate brown eyes.

He smiled and put his lips gently over hers. "That sounds like an excellent way to spend the day."

"In bed?" she breathed against his lips.

His chest rumbled with laughter sending a shiver down her spine as she pulled from his grasp and took his hand. She led him upstairs and stopped once her hand rested on the doorknob that led to her room. "Elena?" he asked from behind her.

"I'm okay," she said, pushing away the images of the previous night and pushed the door open. The pair kicked off their shoes and climbed onto her bed atop the covers. They lay on their sides facing each other. Stefan ran his hand up and down her arm as he tried to figure out why she was so tense.

He brought his hand up to cup her face and rubbed his thumb over her lips. "Nothing is going to get you while you sleep. I'll make sure of it."

She nodded even though her heart began to race. She was exhausted and worn out, but she quickly realized how bad of an idea this had been. What if she had that dream again and she woke up with his brother's name on her lips? She began to panic, taking deep breaths to try and calm her nerves. Before she knew it, she had tears in her eyes and he was pulling her tightly to him. "I'm sorry," she mumbled against his chest.

"For what? Elena, your heart is racing." She nodded and tried to snuggle closer to him. "I promise, nothing is going to hurt you."

She began to laugh at herself, pulling back just enough to look him in the eye. She kissed him briefly and then settled back into the safety and comfort of his arms. "I know, trust me, I feel really stupid for that minor panic attack just now."

He tightened his grip just a bit, adjusting to rest his chin on the top of her head. "Think of it this way; that movie was not real. There is a vampire in your bedroom right now and he is not going to hurt you. He's not going to influence your dreams or take away your free will. He will hurt anyone who would try to do that; he's just here to hold you while you sleep." He pressed a kiss into the top of her head before settling back into his original position.

Elena felt her body relax at his words, feeling incredibly stupid for being so worried over nothing. If Stefan was here, Damon wouldn't even attempt a repeat performance. Especially not after the way he had taken off. She relaxed even more at that thought. _Huh_, she thought, _I scared Damon._ With satisfaction settling into her body and the comfort of Stefan's arms that were wound tightly around her, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

Elena's head jerked up in a startled motion. She hadn't meant to fall asleep even though it was one in the morning. She rubbed her cheek; it was sore from digging into the spiral binding of her notebook. She had been drawing random nothings on the paper before she had fallen asleep on it; her pen was even resting between her index finger and thumb still. She pulled herself into a sitting position, looking around the room with glazed eyes. She shut them and pressed her palms against her sockets.

She knew she should sleep, but she was still afraid to. All week she had been getting two hours sleep at the most through the night in fear that Damon would be lurking in her bedroom again. She was at the point where she didn't care if he did or not, she just wanted to know why; more importantly, why he had kissed her.

She sighed and leaned forward to sit up on her knees, reached over to grab the notebook and immediately became alert as she saw what was scribbled there. Her head snapped towards the window. It was still closed, the lock securely in place as Stefan had done before he left. Her heart rate increased as she looked back at the notebook. It was her handwriting alright, there was no mistaking that. Decorating the page was one word over and over again in various styles and sizes; DAMON.

The longer she stared at the page before her, the more entranced she became. She could feel him behind her, his breath warming her neck as his lips brushed her skin. She bit her bottom lip as his hand crept around to the front of her shirt and gently cupped her breast. The other hand trailed down her side to go lower. His fingers dipped beneath the waistband of her sleeping shorts...

The hoot of an owl outside of her window brought Elena out of sleep with a jolt. She lifted her head fast enough that her neck cracked loudly. She moved faster than she ever had before to get off of the bed. She stumbled into her dresser and gripped the edges to steady herself. She turned to look in the mirror and saw the imprint across her cheek from laying on the spiral binding of the notebook. Her eyes narrowed at that. This was either a very, _very_ strange case of déjà vu or she had had a dream within a dream. Hoping for the latter, she slowly made her way to the bed once more and looked at the notebook. She sighed with relief; the page was nearly blank. It had a few scribbles here and there, but _his_ name was nowhere to be seen.

The owl hooted again, causing her to jump. She turned around and strode over to the window. As she undid the lock and opened the glass panes, she noticed the snow white owl perched in the tree not far from the edge of the roof. She peered around for any sign of Damon and was relieved again that there wasn't any. She looked back at the owl and took a deep breath. "I must be going crazy," she said and smiled at the creature.

Her smile faded when she noticed the owl was staring back at her. The strangest part of their locked stare was the owl's eyes. They were...familiar. She didn't know how that was possible, but Elena knew she had seen those eyes before. When hers closed to concentrate on how she knew them, she heard the flapping of wings. Elena's eyes opened once more to see the tree was now empty. She swallowed thickly, a shiver running over her skin at the sound of the crickets chirping outside that she hadn't noticed while the owl had been there.

"Yep, crazy," she breathed as she turned from the window and headed to the bathroom.

* * *

Damon paced in his room, absently flicking his wrist now and then to stir his drink. It had been a week since he had seen Elena. An entire week since he had gone to watch her sleep and it was driving him crazy. He had no idea why he was so wound up. Sure, she had been awake, but that didn't mean he had to flee the way he did. He gritted his teeth; she was probably laughing at him for running away with his tail between legs. What bothered him the most was that he couldn't get her out of his thoughts no matter how hard he tried. The whole object of infiltrating her dreams was to get under _her_ skin; not the other way around.

He felt his lips curve into a small smirk. He brought the glass to his mouth and took a drink in satisfaction. _It was worth it to hear her call my name_, he thought. When the contents of the glass were burning their way down his throat, he set the glass on the dresser and headed for the door. He paused to see if Stefan was home only to find that his dear brother wasn't around and therefore wouldn't miss him. Damon headed down the stairs, whistling as he went. He grabbed his expensive leather jacket from the coat rack by the front door and his joyful mood came to a harsh stop at the sight of Stefan on the other side of the threshold.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked.

Damon smirked as he stepped back to let his little brother enter. He wanted to strangle him for bringing Elena's scent so close to his nose that he could almost taste it. "I think the question is, where were _you_?"

"I was with Elena. She invited me over for dinner," he explained in a rush. "Where are you going?" he asked again, more persistently.

Damon rolled his eyes at Stefan's smug look. "As the adult in this situation, I don't have to tell you anything," he said, turning on his heels and walking out onto the porch.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt anybody," Stefan called as he followed his brother.

Damon turned around to face him and shook his head with a laugh. "Honestly Stefan, does it look like I'm up to no good?" He flashed the most devilish grin he could muster.

"If someone turns up missing I'll-"

Damon cut him off by slamming Stefan into the brick wall beside the door, squeezing his throat hard enough to make the younger Salvatore see stars. "You'll what? Tell Elena?" He released his hold and stepped back, rolling his shoulders in the process. "Provoking me won't do you any good," he added and then took off towards Elena's. He had some uncharacteristic apologizing to do.

Damon got to Elena's just in time to hear her bathroom door slam shut. He slipped into her room from the window and looked around in surprise. It was one in the morning and both bedside table lamps were still on. What surprised him the most was that her vervain locket was on one of the side tables. He was usually the one to take it off before diving into her dreams; she _never_ took it off. He knew he hadn't exactly left her in a good mood last week, but was she losing sleep over it? That made him frown; that hadn't been his intention. She wasn't even supposed to know that he was there. For the thousandth time since that night, he cursed himself for kissing her. Even for him, that was wrong.

His head jerked towards the bathroom door at the sound of something breaking followed by a string of curses. Before he could stop himself, Damon was opening the door to see what was wrong. Her eyes widened at the sight of him and she backed away. "I should have known you were here," she muttered, putting her back against the door that led to Jeremy's room.

His brow rose. "Why?" he asked sensing her fear, anger, and...arousal? She took a deep breath, but made no indication that she was going to answer him. He looked around the bathroom to see a pieces of a glass tumbler in the sink. His jaw hardened when he noticed the crimson droplets on a few shards. He looked at her and she tensed again. "What happened?"

"Get out," she demanded, wincing as her hands balled into fists at her side.

He stared at her, taking on the blunt of the icy daggers coming from her usually soft brown eyes. After what seemed like a very long time, she took a deep breath and dropped her gaze to the floor. He used that moment to approach the sink and began taking out the shards of glass. "Trash can?" he asked, showing her his hands.

She moved to open the cabinet door beneath the sink and then stepped back as if being near him hurt her. Elena watched him clean up her mess and forced herself to relax. There was no reason she should be this tense around him. If he had wanted to hurt her, he would have done so already. She leaned against the door, her head tipping to the side. When he was finished, he turned towards her, taking a step back to give her some space. She straightened up and met his gaze. "Why?" she asked, not feeling the need to say anything but that one word.

Damon knew exactly what she meant. His shoulders rose in a brief shrug. "I don't know."

Her brows furrowed at him in disbelief. She bobbed her head in the direction of her room and they retreated to it. She quietly shut the door behind her and stood in front of it. "Influencing my dreams I can understand; even lurking outside my room in the middle of the night, but _kissing _me while I'm _asleep_..." her voice trailed off. "That's wrong; even for you."

He smiled lazily at his own thoughts coming out of her mouth. "I know."

The corners of her mouth lifted even though she tried to stop the smile from forming. "I scared you."

His smile faded and his eyes narrowed. "You most certainly did not."

"Then why did you run away? Why haven't I seen you in a week?"

Her questions took him by surprise. He was expecting her to yell, shove; something violent, not a game of twenty-questions. He opened his mouth to say something, but then his lips clamped shut. _Influencing my dreams_ she had said. She wasn't supposed to know that. "What makes you think I could influence your dreams?" he asked. A smirk possessed his lips as he took a step forward. "Have you been dreaming about me Miss Gilbert?"

Her eyes widened as she realized that if he wasn't capable of doing that sort of thing, then she was most definitely dreaming of him on her own. She swallowed thickly, he saw the motion of her throat and a rush of triumph washed over him. Elena shook herself mentally and held her ground. "Cut the crap Damon, I know you can do that."

"How?"

Her cheeks flushed with heat and she involuntarily took a step back, hitting the door behind her. "Because I do."

He chuckled softly, taking another step forward. "Enlighten me."

There was no use in keeping her silence any longer. If she wanted answers, she was going to have to admit that she had dreamed of him; even if it was his doing. "Because that night, the dream felt real. Even after I woke up, I could still feel the sensations I had experienced." Her cheeks heated even more and her eyes cast downwards.

"Care to elaborate on what sensations you experienced?" he asked, teasing her the way only he could.

Elena looked up at him as he put his hands on either side of her head, pinning her between him and the door. She reached up and pushed his chest. Damon smiled at her attempt and didn't budge. "Damn it, Damon, back up."

"Or what?"

Her fists balled at her sides as she ground her teeth in frustration. There wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She huffed and narrowed her eyes at him. "Please?" she said, her voice sounded forced.

He inclined his head and his arms dropped to his side before he took a half step back. "Better?"

She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Look, did you or did you not mess with my mind while I was sleeping and force me to dream of you?"

He mulled it over, contemplating whether or not he should give her a straight answer. He searched her chocolate brown eyes and saw them pleading for honesty. He sighed, cursing the part of him that cared about her and nodded. "Yes, I influenced your dreams." He rushed on as he saw her lips part to yell at him. "It's not something I do very often, mind you, so don't get your panties in a bunch."

She made a face at him, shaking her head. "I don't appreciate the fact that you watch me while I sleep; I appreciate it even less that you take advantage of the situation by getting inside my head."

"I do not-"

"I can tell when you've been here at night. There's this feeling I get when I wake up. I just...know," she said, her voice getting lower as she finished her sentence. She straightened up and squared her shoulders. "You don't have any right to do that."

Faster than she could blink, he had her pinned against the door again; his body flush against hers. "I can do whatever I feel like doing _princess_ and no one is going to stop me."

Elena's palms were flat against the door at her sides, her nails digging into the wood as she tried not to show her fear to him. "I know that, but I'm asking you not to."

His brow rose, that was definitely not the response he was expecting from her. "And why should I do anything you ask me to do?"

He had her there; there was really no reason he had to do as she asked. "Why did you kiss me?" she asked, opting for changing the subject over answering his question.

His smirk faded a notch at that. She was just full of surprises today. "Again, I don't know."

Elena cocked her head to the side. "Liar."

He moved and turned his back on her. She watched him as he approach the foot of her bed before he turned to face her again. "I didn't come here to argue," he said flatly.

She snorted. "Could've fooled me."

He flashed her a quick grin. "Quite the opposite actually. I came to apologize for kissing you." Her eyes widened at his words. "As you said, it was wrong, even for me and it won't happen again."

"What about the dreams?" she asked, hoping she wasn't pushing too much.

If it weren't for the fact that Damon could feel her exhaustion clear across the room, he would have said something more characteristic of himself. Instead, he nodded. "You have my word."

He could literally see her shoulders sag forward at the weight being lifted from her. He hadn't known how much he had affected her and that worried him a little. Maybe he had gone too far. "Thank you," she breathed, pushing herself away from the door.

Damon wanted to know what was bothering her. Sure, he knew his Power had upset her in a big way, but there was more to it then that. However, he could see how tired she was and decided to leave that for another time. "Sweet dreams," he said, smirking coyly at her.

She made a face and rolled her eyes as she pulled back the covers of her bed. "As long as you're not in them, they will be," she returned before heading over to the window with him to lock up.

It was truly too good of an opportunity to waste. He moved with lightening quick speed and put his hands on her shoulders, dipping his head down to her ear. "Oh, I'll be in your dreams, Elena, but it won't be my doing," he whispered. Before she could react, the air shifted in the room and he was gone. After a few seconds of his words echoing through her mind, she shook herself and locked the windows. She dove into bed, shut off the lights, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow for what she hoped was a dreamless night.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

Elena's eyes opened while the rest of her body remained still. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light streaming in from the windows and moved her head to look at the ceiling. For the first time in a week, she felt completely rested. She had gotten a full night's sleep and she couldn't remember her dreams. Assuming she had had any in the first place. A smile crept onto her face and she pushed herself up to stretch. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them so she could put her head on top of them.

It was then that she noticed the eerie silence of the house. She lifted her head and looked out the windows. That was too much light for... Her thought trailed off as she scrambled to grab her cell phone from the table to her right. Elena groaned, sure enough, it was well past time to get ready for school. She had slept through her alarm and it was almost eleven-thirty. She sighed, there was nothing she could do about it now. With that thought in mind, she returned the phone to the nightstand and got up to take a shower. It would be the perfect way to relax even more after a good night's rest. Both were something that had eluded her this past week; relaxation and sleep.

While the water heated up, she stood in front of the mirror. The bags under her eyes were beginning to fade, her skin was back to looking healthy and radiant. She never imagined that a simple promise from Damon would solve her insomnia. Assuming, of course, that he kept his word and left her alone. Elena shook her head to push the thought away and straightened up, squaring her shoulders. She was determined not to think of Damon at all. Today would be a much needed Damon-free day. Thinking of him was part of her problem in the first place. With that, she stepped away from the sink and undressed.

The hot water stung her skin at first, making her hiss, but her body adjusted rather quickly. Elena stood under the spray, letting the heat take away the tension in her shoulders and calm her frazzled nerves. Sure, she had felt refreshed waking up this morning, but that didn't mean she wasn't still a little on edge. If only Stefan here to kiss her fears away.

Elena's eyes snapped open at that thought. _Stefan._ She should have called him before getting into the shower. She felt a little surprised that he wasn't here; obviously she wasn't at school. Maybe Jeremy had told him she'd been sleeping. Even her little brother had picked up on the fact that she hadn't been getting any sleep this past week. _Yeah_, she told herself, forcing her body to relax, eyes closing slowly. _Jeremy told him I was sleeping and Stefan didn't want to risk waking me up_.

Her tranquil state didn't last long as she felt hands on her hips. Her eyes opened to see Stefan, his green eyes shining with love. A faint smile touched her lips as she looked up at him. "When did you get here?" she asked lightly.

Instead of replying with words, he leaned down and kissed her lips. Her body stilled, not quite sure what was going on, but the moment his tongue skimmed her lips, her thoughts dissolved and she melted into his arms. The steam enveloped the pair, swirling throughout the entire bathroom. He pulled her closer, her arms reached up to rest on his shoulders. The water playfully bounced off of her back adding to the sensuality Stefan was making her feel. She felt him smile into her lips as his left hand slid up her side until it was cupping her right breast. His thumb moved to circle the taut nipple that hardened in response to his touch. She groaned into the kiss and her eyes fluttered; her nails digging into his shoulders ever so slightly.

It was then that she felt another hand on her right hip where Stefan's had just been. She stilled completely as a second set of lips touched her shoulder. She tore her lips away from Stefan's the moment another hand cupped her left breast, the arm brushing against her side. She turned as much as she could to see Damon's hooded blue eyes and dripping wet hair. Her heart raced, an involuntary moan escaping her lips as the hand on her hip, the one belonging to Damon, began to travel down her body. Stefan bent to kiss her again and her eyes closed, knowing she was powerless against both of them. She gasped into the kiss as Damon's lips brushed the side of her neck, his chest pushing up against her back.

The moment Damon's fingers touched her core, she shuddered. _Why isn't Stefan freaking out about this_? she thought. _Why am _I_ not freaking out about this?_ Even though her body was enjoying what both men were doing to her, her mind was trying to get her to think clearly. As one long, skillful finger slipped inside of her, all thoughts evaporated and she moaned again, this time voluntarily. The sound was swallowed by Stefan's lips still moving in perfect harmony with hers. Stefan's lips trailed down to the other side of her throat, placing love bites on her skin as he went.

Elena dropped one hand to rest on Damon's arm, the one that was teasing her relentlessly while the other remained clutching Stefan's shoulder. Her head tipped back resting against Damon's shoulder as a shudder of pleasure shook her entire body. At the same time, completely in sync with each other, both pairs of lips on her throat parted, dragging elongated canines across her flesh before two sets of fangs slid into her on either side. Her release was earth shattering, making her entire world spin before her despite the fact that her eyes were closed.

When the last tremors of sure bliss had run their course, she opened her eyes and jumped at the nothingness in front of her. "Stefan?" she called before whirling around to find the space behind her empty too. "Damon?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

As the realization of what happened hit her, she felt sick. She pulled the shower curtain back in a frenzy and barely had time to pull the toilet seat up before she lost control of her stomach. Her nerves were frazzled beyond belief and her body wouldn't stop trembling. Whatever had just occurred couldn't be blamed on Damon. He was a little sick, but no one was _that_ twisted.

Elena choked at that thought, leaning forward on her knees, eyes squeezed shut tightly. No one was that twisted except for _her_, apparently. She shuddered and sat there until she was sure she could move without her legs buckling under her. She flushed the toilet and wearily climbed back into the shower. She turned the dial to ice cold and took a very fast shower, scrubbing her skin as hard as she could to get the feeling of fingers off of her. Not to mention the evidence between her thighs that _something_ had happened a few moments ago. When she entered her room again, she saw that snowy white owl flying away from the tree outside her window.

* * *

Stefan felt his phone vibrate in his pocket a few minutes before fourth hour was over with. His hands curled around the edges of the desk to keep him from using his speed to answer the phone in the hallway. If it was Elena, she would leave a voicemail; she knew he was in class. The vibration stopped and his hands let go of the desk. He glanced at the clock, five more minutes. He had no idea why he was still in class. He should have gone to her house the moment he saw her empty desk in second hour.

The second the bell rang, he leapt from his seat and bolted down the hallway. It was lunchtime and even though he knew Elena wasn't here, he couldn't keep his hope of seeing her at their usual spot outside. Instead, he saw Bonnie with a worried expression on her face. When she saw Stefan approach, she straightened up and tried to smile at him. "Have you seen Elena? She wasn't in fourth hour."

He shook his head, "She wasn't in second either." He pulled out his phone and showed her the missed call he had just received. "She left a message."

He pressed the phone to his ear and the moment her voice could be heard, he put it on speaker. "_Hey, um, I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. I'm sure you've noticed I'm not at school. I was sleeping; woke up not too long ago._" She paused and it worried him. Elena never hesitated on messages. "_I have some errands to run, I'll call you later_," she finished in a rush and the message ended.

Her words worried him, but Bonnie didn't seem all that concerned. "What kind of errands does she have to run?" he asked her.

"It's code for she went to see her parents," the witch answered lightly. "She does that when something's bugging her."

The tension in his body dissolved a little. At least she was okay. "Has she said anything to you about why she can't sleep?"

Bonnie's shook her head. "She hasn't really talked to me at all. Look, I'll head over to the graveyard after school and see if she'll talk to me."

"That's three hours from now," Stefan stated.

"She'll still be there," she assured him. "If she doesn't have anything else planned, she'll spend the entire day with them."

"Will you let me know how she is?"

Bonnie nodded. "Of course." She put her hand on his arm and smiled lightly at him. "She'll be okay. Whatever is going on, she'll get through it."

"I hope so," he muttered, lips pressing into a hard line. "I'll talk to you later then," he said and headed towards the parking lot before she could say another word.

* * *

Damon sat in front of the empty fireplace. His glass was empty, a reminder that he had been sulking in the boarding house for far too long. _I am _not_ sulking,_ he berated himself, lips pressing into a grim line. His eyes flickered to the large, ornate grandfather clock in the corner of the room. His jaw hardened. Ten hours he had been moping around the boarding house trying to answer Elena's question. _Why did I kiss her?_... The answer always eluded him.

He had started inserting himself into Elena's dreams not that long ago. It was more out of curiosity to see how she would react to him. At first he had been content with watching her sleep, but soon that wasn't enough. He wanted to see what she was dreaming of which gave him the idea that he could twist what he saw to suit his purpose. It wasn't until this last dream that she gave him a reaction. Albeit it wasn't exactly the one he had been hoping for. Sure, he was doing this as some sort of revenge plot for Stefan taking Katherine's attention, but he honestly hadn't meant to freak her out. He simply wanted to show her what she was missing by being with his baby brother. The idea was to make her crave him to the point where she came running to him to see if he was as good in reality as he was in the dream world.

He snorted at that. In hindsight, it sounded stupid. A horrible plan that had backfired. All because he got caught up in his own fantasies and kissed her. It went against everything he stood for. His number one rule was to never take anything from a girl that she wasn't already planning to give to him. Yet, he had done it. The startled look on her face wasn't even worth that brief contact of their lips.

His eyes narrowed, hand clenching around the glass until it shattered to pieces. The pain coursed through him for only a moment. _Come on Salvatore, get your mind off of the Gilbert girl._ Damon stood to clean up his mess, pausing at the shift in the air behind him. "Shouldn't you be at school?" he asked, bending down to pick up the glass shards, blood dripping onto the hardwood.

"Did you do something to Elena?" Stefan asked bluntly.

Anticipating this, Damon was able to keep his body from giving himself away. "I'm not following," he said, turning to face his brother.

"I swear Damon, if you've hurt her-"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Stefan, if you're going to accuse me of something, I want to know what I've done."

He saw Stefan's shoulders bristle with irritation. "Last week Elena didn't sleep at all, saying it was because of some movie on TV. She asked me if vampires could influence her dreams."

Damon's brow rose at that. He hadn't expected her to ask Stefan about this. "And?" he asked, trying to see what else she had told him.

Judging from his stony expression, that was the extent of it. "I just want a simple yes or no; have you been messing with her?"

A smirk slowly made its way onto the eldest Salvatore's lips. "Of course I messed with her. It's my favorite pass time." Little did Stefan know...

"Damon..." Stefan warned, shifting his weight.

"Calm down," Damon demanded, taking a deep, unnecessary breath. "I know she's been having trouble sleeping."

"How?"

"I went to see her last night," he admitted, trying to sound as casual as he possibly could.

Stefan's eyes darkened at that, his hand clenching into fists. "Why?"

"To see if I could help her sleep."

Damon grinned as his brother blinked, trying to make sense of his words. His head shook rapidly in disbelief. "Why?" he repeated. "How?"

This was where it got tricky. He couldn't say he was worried because that would be an admittance of feelings, but he couldn't really think of another explanation. Instead, he shrugged. "I compelled her to sleep and she did," he said lamely.

"She has the locket."

"Funny thing about necklaces is that there's always a clasp on the chain," Damon retorted dryly. "They come off."

Damon watched as Stefan's eyes returned to normal, staring at him with complete disbelief now. "You didn't compel her," he said quietly, as if trying to reassure himself.

"Believe what you want," Damon said, walking towards the kitchen to dispose of the glass that was still in his hands. When he returned, Stefan was still staring at the place he had vacated. "Earth to Stefan," he sang, snapping his fingers.

His eyes lifted to Damon's and he pulled himself out of his trance. "Well, whatever you did, it worked. She just woke up a little bit ago."

He nodded, "That's good."

"Listen to this," he said and pulled out his phone to play Elena's message to Damon. "Tell me what you think."

After hearing the message, Damon's brow furrowed in concern. She had been peacefully sleeping when he left. He had purposefully stayed behind a little to make sure of it. Something had to have happened between waking up and leaving that message. Part of him was relieved, whatever was making her so upset wasn't his fault after all. The downside to that was the fact that something was still upsetting her and he had no idea what it could be. Either way, he had a bad feeling about this.

"Well?" Stefan asked, shoving the phone back into his pocket.

"She didn't sound well rested," Damon replied.

He sighed. "Did she say anything to you?" he asked, not liking the idea that Elena would talk to Damon over him, but he had to ask.

"If she had, I wouldn't tell you anyway," he said, smirking at Stefan. "However, I can assure you that she said nothing on the subject." He walked to the liquor cart and poured himself a shot of whiskey, grabbing a fresh glass. "If you're worried about her, why are you here pestering me? This is supposed to be my retreat from you," he pointed out, downing the shot. He smacked his lips, the liquor burning its way down his throat.

"Bonnie said she was at the graveyard and that she would check on her after school. She said she was going to call me later," he informed his older brother.

"And you trust the witch?"

"She only has a problem with you," Stefan returned. "Look, I'm not going to tell Elena that you compelled her to sleep, but you need to leave her alone. She isn't another one of your human toys."

"Right, she's one of yours," Damon said with a weary grin. He was getting tired of promising things to people. He smiled at the tick in Stefan's jaw. "If anything happens to Elena, I can assure you it wasn't my doing. Now get back to school before I report you to the truancy department."

Reluctantly Stefan left.

Damon returned to the chair, staring at the empty fireplace. His thoughts picked up right where they left off before Stefan's intrusion. _Now_, he thought, taking a long drink from the bottle he had brought to the chair with him. _Why did I kiss her..._


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

Bonnie sighed with relief as she parked her car next to Elena's. Her intuition had told her that her friend would still be here, and it was right. Quietly, Bonnie made her way to the Gilbert plot and smiled softly at the sight of Elena. She was lying in front of the headstones, staring up at the clouds in the sky. She looked so peaceful, to the point where Bonnie was debating whether or not she should intrude. Before she could decide, Elena sat up, eyes focused on Bonnie.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a somewhat icy tone.

"Stefan let me listen to the message you left for him. I told him I would come by to check on you."

"Oh," was all she could manage to say as she pulled herself to her feet.

"So... How are you? You said you got some sleep."

Elena nodded, putting her hand on the headstone to keep herself balanced. "Yeah."

Bonnie took a few steps closer, watching as Elena's body tensed visibly. Her friend hardly ever gave one word answers. Something was off. She could feel it in the air the closer she got to Elena. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" she asked lightly.

"Not really," she replied. She wasn't sure if Bonnie was real or if this was another one of those vivid dreams. It was starting to scare her, this not knowing. The fact that she couldn't tell reality and imagination apart anymore was making her very uneasy. That's why she had run to the graveyard. At least the dead couldn't talk to or try to touch her.

"Elena, you have to tell someone what's wrong. You're starting to scare everyone."

"If I told you, you would think I was sick and twisted. Probably a little crazy, too."

Bonnie stopped in her tracks. She hadn't been expecting anything remotely like that to come out of Elena's mouth. Instead of replying, she closed the gap between them and put her hands firmly around one of her friend's forearms. Her body became icy, the hairs on her neck stood straight up, and her skin prickled with goosebumps. She shuddered and stepped back. "That's not good."

"What did you see?" Elena asked, her eyes scanning the open space around them nervously.

"Something dark..." her voice trailed off, unsure of how she could put her feelings into words without frightening Elena anymore. She backed off, deciding she would discuss it with Stefan first. "I can't describe it," she said in a rush. Bonnie put even more distance between them, trying not to show any signs of how horrible the sensation really had been. "I just wanted to see if you were okay." Right now, the witch just wanted to get away, the darkness in her friend was beginning to devour her.

Elena watched as Bonnie began to walk away. She ground her teeth in irritation; Bonnie was right. She needed to talk to someone and Bonnie was the only person she could talk to about things like this. "Wait," she called out.

Bonnie stopped, turning slowly to Elena. "Yes?" she asked, swallowing thickly.

Elena sank back down to the ground, patting the patch of grass beside her. Bonnie took a deep breath, forcing the bad feelings away from her, and returned to sit next to Elena. They sat with their backs against the headstones, staring out at the rest of the graveyard. "I've been...seeing things," Elena began after sitting in silence for a little while.

"Such as?" Bonnie asked, trying not to push too hard to get her friend to talk.

Racking her brain for the bits and pieces she could tell Bonnie, Elena played with the blades of grass at her side. "It started off with a..." she fumbled for the right word. It wasn't a dream, but it wasn't exactly a nightmare either. "I've been having very vivid dreams. To the point where I can still feel the effects and recall every detail hours- days- after I wake up."

"When was the first one you had?"

"Last week after I watched that movie," Elena lied. As much as she wanted to talk to Bonnie, she didn't want to tell her how much she had been thinking of Damon. She didn't even want to admit that to herself. What bothered her the most was that even after all the vivid details from the dreams and daydreams, she could still feel his lips on hers when she had woken up to his kiss. It was the only part of this situation that had been real and she still wasn't sure how to feel about it. She cleared her throat and looked at Bonnie. "But nothing I dream of is nightmarish."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed at her. "What have you been seeing?"

There was another long moment of pause before Elena gave her response. "I've been thinking of Stefan." It wasn't exactly a lie, but it was better than telling Bonnie about what she had "seen" this morning. Just the thought of it made her shudder and rub her unmarked neck.

"Stefan?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. "Why would you be so strung out over daydreams of Stefan? Is he killing you?"

Elena's eyes closed at her own stupidity. She should have let the witch walk away instead of talking to her. "No, he's not killing me."

"Sex dreams?" Bonnie blurted out, earning a very wide eyed expression from the brunette in front of her.

Elena simply nodded. "Dreams, daydreams... I can't get him out of my head." _Although it's not the _him_ you're thinking of_, she finished to herself.

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm confused. I thought you two were..."

"We are."

"Then why are these dreams upsetting you?"

As Elena sprang to her feet, Bonnie realized she had pushed too far with that last question. Obviously, she wasn't telling her the full truth because Elena had said she felt twisted, sick, and crazy. Dreaming about her boyfriend wasn't... _Oh_, Bonnie thought, realizing what was going on. Her fingers dug into the grass at her side. _That explained the darkness I felt_. Her teeth ground together in anger; how could Damon do this to her?

"I shouldn't have said anything," Elena muttered. Her eyes locked with Bonnie's. "Will you please keep this between you and me?"

"Elena-"

"I mean it Bonnie. If Stefan so much as utters one word relating to this conversation, you can consider our friendship over."

Bonnie stood, returning Elena's stare. She knew her words were harsh because she was feeling defensive and afraid. "I won't tell Stefan. You have my word on that," she vowed.

Both girls stared at each other for a very long, silent moment. They both knew the unspoken part of that vow, but neither one of them said anything about it. Deciding it was best to leave now, Bonnie turned and began walking to her car. She had something very important to do. Elena watched her go, knowing exactly where she would end up, but at the moment, she didn't care.

As much as she wanted to believe that Damon was responsible for this morning, there was no one to blame but herself. He wanted her to himself; not to share her with Stefan. She sighed, turning to look at the headstones by her leg. She smiled, kissed her fingers, and brought them to the top of the stone. Now was probably a good time to get going; she just had to decide what her destination would be.

* * *

Damon heard the car pull up to the boarding house. His ears perked up as he listened to the sound of feet urgently bringing someone to his door. Secretly, he wished that it was Elena. His hopes dwindled at the sound of the doorbell. If it were Elena, she would just barge right in to either yell at him or go find Stefan. He waited for his brother to get it, but after the third ring, he got to his feet. A string of curses left his mouth at the sight of the witch. She scowled at him before entering the house.

"At least vampires wait for an invitation," he commented while shutting the door. Damon did not want to deal with her today. Not ever, really.

"What did you do to her?" she asked bluntly once he turned to face her.

One dark brow rose at her words while he mentally shuddered. This was not good. "I don't understand," he said, playing coy.

"Cut the crap, Damon. She already told me what you did to her," Bonnie bluffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

He stared at her and then smiled slowly. "You're lying. Quite frankly, you're not very good at it."

Triumph shown in his eyes as she shifted her weight. "Something's not right with Elena. I touched her and..." her voice trailed off as her eyes closed, that dark feeling crawling up her spine again.

"And?" Damon repeated, taking a step forward, his cocky attitude disappearing almost instantly.

Bonnie took a deep breath, forcing the feeling away. She opened her eyes up to Damon who was looking at her intensely, waiting impatiently for her to continue. "I got the sensation of black magick."

"Black magick," he repeated, the words rolling off his tongue in disbelief.

She nodded. "That's what it felt like, but I'm not quite sure if I'm right. It was like the old Elena was gone and all that was left was something dark; a swirling cloud of black and something sinister inside her."

"What did she say to you?" he asked. When he saw her hesitation, he took another step forward. "I'll compel you if I have to. Now spill," he demanded.

"She said she'd been having dreams about Stefan. Vivid, lifelike sex dreams about him."

Damon's jaw clenched at that. Either Elena lied to her friend or his plans had backfired more than he thought. "I could have gone the rest of my unnaturally long life without knowing that."

"Before that, she said that if she told me what she was really seeing, that I would think she was sick and twisted, maybe a little crazy."

Damon narrowed his eyes. So it wasn't Stefan she was dreaming of; it was him. He already knew that. "Daydreams?" That was something he had never tried on anyone before.

Bonnie nodded and waved her arms at him. "Look, I came here to tell you to leave her alone."

He sighed. "As I told Stefan earlier, I had nothing to do with Elena's current state of mind."

The witch pouted at that. "Then something else is going on around here." As much as she hated it, she knew Damon wasn't behind this. If he was, he would be gloating about it not trying to understand the situation. "Elena asked me not to say anything about this to Stefan although I'm sure she didn't want me to say anything to you either."

"Yes, so why did you come here anyway? While I appreciate the knowledge, I didn't think you'd come running to me with it." He put his hand up to silence her as she started to answer him. "Forget it. You came here because at the first sign of something bad in this town people automatically think I'm behind it."

A smile tugged at one corner of her mouth. "Only the people that know you."

Her smirked at her in return. "I won't say anything to Stefan about this. If anyone asks, you were never here," he assured her and went to open the front door behind him. Neither of them had moved past the foyer.

"I would deny it anyway," she said, walking past him confidently.

He watched her as she continued to her car without another word. The moment she was gone, he slammed the door shut behind him. Something was definitely going on in Mystic Falls; something that could land Damon in hot water if he wasn't careful. What made it worse was that the target seemed to be Elena. Who or whatever was behind this would not get away with their plans.

He would make sure of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: I'm sorry in advance...**

**okay, like every other FF addict, I had a briliant idea for a story based on the premier (damn those writers!). I have the first part written but I'm not sure if it's too soon or not to post it soooo I'll leave it up to you guys. If you're interested, let me know and I'll go from there :)**

SIX

Elena sat in her car outside the boarding house, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. She had spent a few hours driving around and had gotten all the way to Richmond before she started heading back to Mystic Falls. Instead of going home like she had planned, she had ended up at the boarding house. She leaned back, her head hitting the seat behind her. She was feeling a little bit like her old self. Her body was no longer tense and fragile. The events of the morning had been pushed into the back of her mind sometime during her drive. Driving always seemed to relax her.

She sighed and got out of the car. She knew she owed Stefan an apology for blowing him off and making him worry, but she still wasn't sure how she would react to seeing him. Much less how she would react if Damon would be there. She shuddered, pausing at the front door, fingers curled around the handle.

Elena took a moment to regain her composure and then opened the door. She stood in the foyer, wanting to call out Stefan's name, but no sound would escape her lips. She was afraid that she would call out for the wrong Salvatore. Pouting, she shut the door and headed for the stairs. The reason why she was here finally came to her as she got to the second floor landing. Maybe her brain was on hyperdrive with the sex dreams because she simply wanted to sleep with Stefan again. She rolled her eyes as she headed to Stefan's room. That sounded outrageous even to her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that if she got it out of her system, maybe the images would go away.

As she got to the end of the hallway, she saw that his door was closed. She knocked lightly and pushed it open. "Stefan?" she called out softly. As she stepped inside, she looked around at the empty room.

The air shifted and Elena whirled around to see him standing in the doorway. Her hands went to her chest, indicating that her heart was beating wildly inside of her. He held up his arms in a placating manner as his eyes met hers with concern. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Where were you?" she asked, forcing her voice to sound level and calm.

"Feeding," he answered, dropping his gaze to the floor momentarily. "I was just coming in when I heard you calling for me."

She nodded, "I let myself in."

He looked back up at her and saw the tears brimming in her eyes. "Elena?" he asked softly, moving until he had her gathered in his arms. His hand ran up and down her back while the other cupped the back of her head. "What's wrong?"

She rubbed her cheek against his, reveling in the skin-to-skin contact. Being close to him made her feel better. It was safe here, in his arms. Assuming, of course, that this was real and not an illusion. That thought made her move closer to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I don't know," she breathed, closing her eyes against the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Elena-"

She cut him off by pulling her head back in order to kiss him. "I don't want to talk right now," she whispered against his lips.

He gave a brief nod before pressing his lips onto hers. The hand cupping her head applied more pressure, bringing her closer to him than she thought was possible. Elena wanted to get to the bed behind her, but her legs wouldn't move. She was lost in the kiss, afraid to unwind her arms from him in case this was another one of those daydreams. _No!_ her mind hissed at her. _This is real; _Stefan _is real._

Deciding to test that theory, she moved her arms so she could rest her hands on his hips. Her fingers started pulling at the material, untucking it from his jeans. Immediately, she began undoing the buttons. Stefan's other hand went to the small of her back, his fingers rose beneath her shirt to brush her skin. As the shirt fell to the floor behind him, Elena moved her lips down to Stefan's neck, delivering playful nips here and there, her hands sliding down his bare skin to his belt.

It was too much for Stefan to take. He ground his teeth to prevent his fangs from coming out. Something was different about her; she wasn't usually demanding like this. He wanted to pull away and talk to her instead of continuing. However, the moment her delicate little hands dove into his jeans to cup him, he couldn't seem to care. All he wanted was her; right here, right now.

With a growl, he gathered the hem of her shirt in both hands and tugged it over her head. As if they shared one mind, they both began to undo the fly on each other's pants. The moment the material pooled around their feet, Stefan surged forward to gather Elena in his arms and used his inhuman speed to get them onto his bed.

Her head hit the pillow lightly, the softness absorbing the shock of their fall. Her legs automatically locked around his waist as he rested above her on his forearms. His lips were a mix of sweet and rough, almost as if he were afraid to loose control. Elena's eyes opened to see his bright green ones looking down at her with love and admiration. She grinned into the kiss and felt his lips curve into a smile as well before he pulled his head up, kissing his way down her neck.

Her back arched at the feel of his tongue on her skin in combination with his lips. It scared her; the desire for him to bite her at that moment, but she didn't dare ask him. She moaned as she felt the faintest swipe of teeth along her flesh, her eyes fluttering in response. She reached up to cup his face and pulled his head up so she could see him. Her eyes widened in momentary fear at the sight of Damon smirking down at her. Her heart raced in her chest, eyes squeezing shut so she could bring his lips down to hers, refusing to believe that Damon was there.

Feeling bolder than ever, she pushed forward, rolling them over so she could be on top. He could have stopped her if he wanted, but she was glad that he didn't. She dared to open her eyes and felt relief wash over her at the sight of Stefan. His hands rested firmly on her hips to make sure she was steady before reaching between them to tear away the material preventing their closeness. The moment his hand returned to her hip, her hand slid down to guide him inside of her.

He thrust upwards as she flexed her hips to get their rhythms in sync. Her head tipped back, her hair falling behind her shoulders. Stefan surged forward to sit up with her, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. He cupped her face and brought her lips down to hers before moving so that Elena was beneath him once again.

Her legs bent at the knees to cradle his body between her thighs as he continued to drive himself into her. Her hands cupped his shoulders in a grip that was directly between pushing him away and pulling him close. Their lips moved as one, eyes shut to further enjoy the sensations. She broke the kiss as she felt her head begin to swim, arching her back and pushing her throat upwards. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, his lips now on her shoulder.

Before he gave in and bit her, he jerked his head upwards to look down at the pleasure riddling her face. He increased his pace, driving deeper with each thrust. Elena groaned, her eyes opening to see him as he pushed her to her limit. A moan escaped her lips as two steely blue eyes stared back at her, darkened with desire. Unable to set her mind right, she sunk her fingers into those soft black tendrils, urging him on. With one final thrust, her eyes snapped shut and she heard his name tumble past her lips as she came for him...

* * *

Damon stopped in the foyer, the front door still open behind him. Annoyance and disgust rolled through him at the sound of Elena's cries of passion; calling out Stefan's name in the heat of the moment. Of course, he should have known that they would be up there doing _that_ since her car was out front. His ears perked up as she called his brother's name again, this time with a little less confidence. A smirk slowly plagued his lips as he stared at the empty space before him. _Well, well, well_, he thought triumphantly. _Elena's worried about saying the wrong name._

His smirk vanished at the sound of Stefan's voice, calling out for Elena. He retreated to the front porch, shutting the door quietly behind him. There was no way he was going to stay in the house and listen like a pervert. Had it not been for the enhanced hearing, he would have been able to live with the knowledge that they were upstairs.

Sighing in defeat, Damon returned to his car, deciding a drink at the local watering hole should do the trick. He needed something to erase what he had heard. The fact that images of Elena stretched out beneath him in all her naked glory wasn't helping any. He scowled, slamming the door of his car after sliding behind the wheel. Just as he put the car into reverse, the sight of a white owl held him in awe. It was uncommon for this part of the country, but at the moment, he was too beside himself to give it any thought.

* * *

Elena's head was on Stefan's stomach. He was playing with her hair, now tangled as if she had been caught in a windstorm. He listened to the sound of her breathing, the rise and fall of her chest was a strange feeling against his side. She clenched the sheet around her body, a little embarrassed about the whole situation. For starters, she should have stopped the first time she saw Damon hovering above her, but she had continued. Luckily, she had called the right name when it counted. However, she had faked her way through it.

She didn't know if Stefan knew this or not, but it was making her nervous. She wanted to run, but she couldn't find the right excuse to give him. "Elena..." he started.

Her phone interrupted him. Taking the sheet with her, Elena got to her feet and searched her jeans for the right pocket. She answered it to Jenna. "Hey."

"Where are you?"

She swore after pulling the phone from her ear. "I was at the library..."

Jenna snorted at her niece's feeble attempt at a lie. "Yeah, and there's a unicorn in the backyard. Should I put dinner away or are you going to come home soon?"

Elena found herself smiling as she shook her head. "I'm on my way," she said, glad that her aunt wasn't too angry that she had missed dinner. She dropped the sheet around her long enough to pull her jeans on. She grimaced at the feel of them without underwear, but it would have to do until she got home. As she reached for her bra, she did a double-take at Stefan's expression.

"You're leaving?"

"I was supposed to be home for dinner. I called Jenna after I called you this morning," she explained quickly, focusing on redressing. She had never felt this way after being with Stefan. Normally she would give anything to spend the next few hours just lying in bed with him. Right now, she couldn't wait to get out.

He narrowed his eyes and sat up. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, frowning at her.

She shook her head rapidly. "No," she mumbled, pulling her hair out from beneath her shirt.

He attempted a grin at her as she came back to kiss him hastily. "I feel a little used," he teased.

"Sorry," she breathed against his lips before slipping her feet into her shoes. "Gotta run," she called over her shoulder before hurrying her way back to her car. Before driving to her house, she searched her car for a hair tie. Once she found one, she pulled her hair up in a way to make the messy tangles look as if she had done it on purpose. Inspecting herself in the rearview mirror, she deemed herself ready and began to drive home.

Stefan stood at his bedroom window, watching as Elena drove away. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened during their tryst; something that made her afraid. His hands clenched into fists at his side. He had to find out what was going on if he was going to be able to help her. Hopefully it was soon because he couldn't stand watching her hurt this way.

His head dropped slightly in shame. She wouldn't even be in this state if it hadn't been for him in the first place. Defeated, he turned from the window and headed towards the bathroom to clean up.


	7. Chapter 7

SEVEN

As she got to her front door, Elena opened it slowly, hoping that it wouldn't creak to give her away to Jenna. Unfortunately, her aunt was waiting for her. However, she was on the phone, giving Elena the chance to dash upstairs and change her clothes before having to talk to her. Once she was in her room, she rested her back against the door and took a moment to breathe.

The events of the day were beginning to take their toll on her and no matter how much she wanted a shower, she couldn't stomach going into her bathroom at the moment. She stripped out of her clothes on her way to the dresser, pulled out a fresh pair of underwear and stepped into them before opening another drawer to retrieve her lounging pants. After that, she scrounged around for a tank top. Satisfied with her image, she decided that now was as good a time as any go down and face the authority figure that was waiting for her.

"Sit," Jenna demanded the moment she walked into the kitchen.

Jeremy's eyes widened in amusement at the pretend-to-be-stern tone in their aunt's voice. "Someone's in trouble," he sang under his breath.

"What'd you do this time?" Elena teased, taking a seat on one of the barstools.

"Not me," he returned, patting her shoulder as he got up and left the room.

"Alright, Miss Gilbert, you have some serious explaining to do."

"Where would you like me to start?" Elena asked, putting her elbows on the granite surface so she could rest her head in her hands.

"This morning."

Elena nodded, opting to tell Jenna everything that she could. "Well, let me say I'm sorry for ditching, but last night was the first night I actually got to sleep in...forever. I didn't get to bed until about two, but I didn't wake up until eleven. I will go to school tomorrow," she promised.

"We'll get to your insomnia later," she said before reaching across the counter to put her hands out for Elena. In turn, Elena stretched out her arms to take her hands and smiled lightly. "You know you can talk to me about anything right? I may not be your mom, but I was a teenager once too. I've been through all of this high school and boyfriend drama; I know what it's like."

My smile widened at her honesty even though I knew exactly what this was leading up to. "Mom did give me 'the talk' before," I informed her.

She blushed and pulled her hands away, giving me a dirty look when I snickered at her reaction. "I'm sure she did, but that doesn't mean you don't have questions."

Elena's hands dropped to lap as she looked at the counter. "I just don't know how to ask."

"Be blunt," Jenna suggested. Elena looked up with a raised brow to which her aunt shrugged. "Trust me, it's easier than beating around the bush."

Elena couldn't help but laugh, the sound foreign to her own ears after a week of barely being able to crack a genuine smile. "Alright," she mumbled.

"How many partners have you had?" Jenna asked.

"One," she said proudly. Despite what people had thought about her and Matt, their relationship had never escalated to that level. _Thank God_, Elena thought. It was bad enough that he still acted like a love-sick puppy around her, she couldn't imagine how he would act if they had been intimate. "And it's only recently. Maybe a month or so ago."

"Have the two of you been together a lot during this month or no?"

Elena's shoulders lifted automatically. "Not that much. Five times."

"Counting tonight?" Jenna asked.

A small smile touched Elena's lips. "Was this your ulterior motive?"

Jenna laughed, "No, but I figured I'd ask anyway."

Elena nodded and bit her lip as she tried to find the right way to phrase her question. "I heard from Caroline and some other girls that once you sleep with someone, that's all you want to do."

"Again, it's different for everyone. That being said, Caroline is..." her voice trailed off.

"Yeah," Elena finished weakly. "Caroline is different."

"Some people enjoy it in excess, others in moderation."

"What if someone doesn't enjoy it at all?"

"Is that what's been bothering you?"

Elena shook her head rapidly, some strands of hair falling loose from her ponytail. "No, I like it, I just don't see the need to jump Stefan every time I see him." She paused to look down again. "We've talked about it and he's okay with it. I wasn't his first and he's been nothing but patient and sweet with me."

"But?"

Elena smiled briefly before taking a deep breath. "Alright, here goes nothing," she mumbled. "Earlier when I was with Stefan I-" her voice refused to say anything else. _Couldn't stop thinking of Damon_ was what she wanted to say, but she would never, ever admit that out loud. Not even to herself. "I didn't... I couldn't..."

As she fumbled for words, Jenna narrowed her eyes, trying to fill in the blanks for herself. When it finally hit her, she made an O with her mouth and nodded. "That's normal too. It doesn't happen every time."

"Really?" she couldn't help the surprised tone of her voice as the word rushed out of her mouth.

Jenna nodded her head. "Really." She sighed and gave a weak smile. "Not that I want to tell you this, but it's only fair. I've only had one a few times in my life and I was a little tipsy on each occasion."

Elena's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Most of the time, if a woman is too anxious about something else like her looks or what her partner is thinking, it can delay the final moment. Even to the point where it just doesn't occur." She smiled brightly at her niece even though she was feeling a little awkward at the moment. "Anyway, just consider yourself lucky that you had any in the first place. Boys don't even notice the difference between the faked and real because they're too lost in their own release."

Elena laughed for the second time that day. "Thanks Aunt Jenna."

"You're welcome," she returned, going to the fridge to pull out a plate of food she had made earlier. "Here, I didn't want you to choke on anything during our chat. I just put it away when you walked in."

As much as she didn't want to eat, Elena took a few bites anyway to please the woman on the other side of the counter. "Thanks," she mumbled again.

"Now can we talk about your insomnia?" Jenna asked, bringing the other girl a glass of water.

Elena shrugged, there wasn't much she could say about. "Last week, I had a really bad nightmare."

"And you ditched," Jenna pointed out. "It was not exactly good to have me walk in on you and Stefan in your room."

"We weren't doing anything."

Jenna nodded slowly, "I know, that's what worried me. Normal teenagers would have used that time to do other things. Have I told you that you're my favorite relative?"

Elena laughed for the third time. "Poor Jeremy."

The adult rolled her eyes at the mention of her nephew. "Jeremy doesn't even try to hide his habits. Hey, don't change the subject. I know you haven't been sleeping for at least a week now. Something you want to talk about? It really can't be much more embarrassing than the talk we just had."

Instead of coming up with a lie that wouldn't sound remotely true, Elena settled for something that she knew Jenna would leave alone. "I keep reliving the accident," she said quietly.

All the humor drained from Jenna's face at those words. Before she knew it, she was around the counter with her arms wrapped around her niece. "Oh, Elena."

"It's okay Jenna, really."

"No it's not," she huffed, pulling back to look at the girl.

"I know there's nothing I can do about it, that it's not my fault. But that doesn't stop me from running through all the what-if scenarios and feel the guilt."

Jenna's hand rested on Elena's shoulder, massaging it lightly for comfort. "Would it help if you talked to someone about it?"

"Like a shrink?"

Jenna nodded. "I know in the beginning you were having trouble dealing with things, but you shouldn't be going backwards in the healing process."

Elena shrugged out of her aunt's grasp and stood up. "The truth is, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I just got better at ignoring the images and shoving the guilt away. I'm not sure what brought it on, but it'll go away."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I slept last night, maybe I'll be able to sleep tonight too." Elena stopped to smile, stepping forward to put her hand on Jenna's forearm. "Either way, I will be at school tomorrow."

Jenna smiled lightly. "Tomorrow's Friday. If you want to stay home, that's okay with me. I know you're going through a rough time. I understand."

"Thanks Jenna," she replied, moving to hug her aunt. "I'll probably go anyway."

"That's so not fair," came Jeremy's voice from the entrance to the kitchen. "You're giving her permission to ditch." His words were jealous, but there was a smile on his face. Something Elena was also not used to anymore.

"I was going to stay home and have some quality girl time if she did," Jenna answered, a smirk tugging at her lips. "You're more than welcome to stay home and have some quality girl time with me if you'd like."

"No thanks, I'll pass," he replied quickly.

All three of them laughed briefly. "Thanks for everything," Elena said to Jenna as she headed for the stairs. She stopped at Jeremy to ruffle his hair. "Stay out of trouble, Jer," she commented as she looked at his clothes, knowing he was going out.

As she got to the top of the stairs, she paused. She knew she needed a shower, but she still couldn't stomach going into her bathroom. _No_, she told herself harshly. _You're not going to be afraid_. With that, she headed into her room, head held high. She grabbed fresh underwear from the dresser and forced her legs to carry her to the bathroom. She opted for icy cold water and decided to skip washing her hair, leaving it up in her sloppy ponytail.

Wrapped in a towel, she stood in front of the mirror. She smiled, feeling more like herself than she had in the past week. She noticed her shoulders were squared and she was standing taller. Her confidence was slowly beginning to come back. The talk with Jenna had helped her...or was it that she had slept with Stefan? She shook her head, either way, she felt good. She took her time drying off, going through the nightly grooming ritual before getting dressed so she could crawl into bed and sleep.

Elena entered her bedroom, shivering from the blast of cool night air coming in from her window. Odd, it wasn't open before. Shrugging it off, she approached it to latch the lock. Her eyes closed as she felt the air shift seconds before the lock was in place. Sighing, she turned around to see Damon sprawled out on her bed, hugging her teddy bear to his chest with one arm, the other tucked behind him against the headboard. "What do you want?" she asked, clearly unhappy about his presence.

"Relax," he said casually when she tensed. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Her arms crossed over her chest, suddenly very aware she wasn't wearing a bra underneath the thin material of the tank top. "You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe that," she replied dryly. She was not in the mood to deal with him tonight. Not after what had happened with Stefan. She shuddered at the memory of seeing Damon above her where Stefan should have been. "I thought you said you'd stop," she breathed before she could keep the words from coming out.

That had him worried. He slid off of her bed and moved to stand in front of her. He made sure to keep his distance to show her that he could be trusted. "I haven't done anything."

"Were you at the boarding house about an hour ago?" she asked, not even attempting to bring up the events of the morning.

"Yes," he replied, knowing exactly where she was going with this.

Her arms dropped to her sides, hands curling into fists as she bristled with anger. "Damn it, Damon," she growled.

"Cool your jets, sweetheart. I was only there for a minute, maybe less."

Her eyes flashed with anger and fear as she stared at him. "But-"

"I came home only to hear you two going at it upstairs. I believe I showed up for the finale," he said with a grin; one that died instantly as she took a half step backwards, hitting the window seat behind her. "I didn't want to intrude so I left," he finished quietly.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest, her eyes closing against tears. _If he hadn't...then that meant..._ She swallowed thickly and opened her eyes to see him staring at her with concern. _I thought of him all on my own_. She sighed in defeat and her body slumped forward before she sank to the window seat behind her.

"Elena?" he called, unsure if he should reach out to her or stay where he was.

_So much for sleeping_, she thought, another heavy sigh escaping her lips. "Nothing," she mumbled.

Instead of watching her mope around for something he didn't have a clue about, he decided to change the subject. "Stefan played your message for me. Did something happen this morning?"

He saw her tense to the point where he thought she might snap. "No," she said quickly.

_Liar_, he thought, but let it go. "Well, you didn't sound all that good. You still don't."

Her head snapped up so she could glare at him. She stood up shortly after, hands clenched into fists at her side again. "Leave," she demanded.

"I'm not going anywhere Elena."

This time, a tear did escape, trailing it's way down her cheek. Unable to stop himself, Damon moved forward to cup her face, using his thumb to wipe the tear away. Both of them stilled at his actions. "Please," she begged in a barely audible whisper.

As much as Damon wanted to back away and give in to her demands, he couldn't move. He was frozen, too stunned by his own actions to move. "I told Stefan I compelled you to sleep and that's why you hadn't made it to school," he said softly after a very long and silent staring contest.

"Why?" she asked, finally moving away from him.

His hand fell limply to his side as she turned her back to him. "I have no idea."

She sighed, staring out the window. "What are you doing here?" she asked, determined to get an answer this time.

"To see how you were doing."

She half turned so she could look at him. "Why do you care?"

"Because..." he started, unable to bring himself to finish the sentence.

Elena smirked, turning completely to see him. "Does Damon actually have feelings for someone other than himself?"

"Watch it Gilbert," he said in a warning tone, earning an even wider smirk from her. "I care because I did this to you."

Her smirk vanished at the hint of regret in his voice. "Damon-"

"Yes, it was a very stupid thing I did, but I can't take it back. I can, however, make up for it."

"How?" she asked.

"Well, I can compel you to sleep."

"That won't make the dreams go away," she said before she could stop herself. Her eyes went wide as she looked away from him.

"I can give you good dreams."

"I think we have different definitions of good," she whispered.

He was in front of her again, cupping her jaw to make her look up at him. "I promised you that I wouldn't do that again. I always keep my word, Elena. Do you trust me?"

"That depends. Were you here this morning?" she asked quietly.

"I was at the boarding house," he assured her.

Her body was telling her to let him do it; that she needed sleep. Though her mind and heart were telling her to make him leave. Giving in, she nodded as much as she could. "Any funny business and I will stake you."

It was an empty threat, but he nodded as if it had been a serious one. Damon let go of her chin to bring both hands to her shoulders, turning her around. He reached to the clasp at her necklace and removed it. "Lie down," he demanded.

As she did, he placed the necklace on the bedside table. Once she was under the covers, he kicked off his shoes so he could lie on top of the comforter beside her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable. I have to be here in order for this to work," he informed her, propping himself up on his side to face her.

She nodded and turned to lie on her side to look at him. "Will you promise me one last thing before you do this?"

"Name it."

"Please, don't ever kiss me while I'm sleeping."

A smile tugged at his lips from her expression. He reached out and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "You have my word."

His touch made her eyes flutter as her body stilled completely. "Alright, I'm ready."

He inclined his head and their eyes locked. "Your body is going to relax. You are tired; you want to sleep. You are going to be safe; nothing will hurt you. Sleep." His voice was soothing and relaxing as it filled her ears, lulling her to sleep. She felt her eyelids droop and the tension in her body dissolve as he repeated his speech more than once.

Damon stopped talking the moment her breathing became steady and deep. She was finally asleep. He reached out to cup her face lightly, playing with a lock of hair between his forefinger and thumb. He gazed down at her in amazement. He was the cause of her discomfort and yet here she was, sleeping next to him because she wanted to. That made him smile and feel happier than he should have felt. His smile vanished; he shouldn't be feeling anything for her. She was Stefan's; not his. He wondered how two people that looked exactly alike could be so different. She was nothing like Katherine, and yet...

_Katherine._ Just the name made his body ache with longing.

Damon snapped out of his thoughts as Elena shifted. Her back melded perfectly with his chest, the contours of their bodies coming together as one. Instinctively, he placed his arm around her waist, reveling in the feel of her hand resting on top of his.

There was something different about Elena. Something that had him rethinking his purpose in life.

A small smile crept onto his face as he inhaled her scent. His eyes closed, body relaxed, he pushed himself into her mind to make her slumber as pleasant as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: to all of you who read my other story, One Kiss, I'm so glad you loved it! Now I would like to hear your thoughts on the direction I was thinking of taking it. I love taking a series and following it episode by episode. I did that with my Stargate: Atlantis story and it ended up being over a thousand (typed!) pages and I'm still in season four of five... So, if I were going to take TVD season two and write the episodes how the Delena interaction should have been, would you guys be interested? (I'm not going to go through the entire episode, just take the general plot line. I'll be switching up the dialogue and eventually, I'll go off on my own). If not, I'll just wait until the season progresses and write it later.**

**as for this story...thank you to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, and adding me to alerts and favorites lists! You guys are amazing and your reviews make me want to keep writing! A special thanks to the wonderful Zoraya Windwalker for making sure this story comes along without a hitch!**

**p.s. this chapter should answer some of your questions concerning the owl...maybe ;)**

EIGHT

Damon and Elena had come to some sort of arrangement. She agreed to let him spend the night, keeping her dreams at bay. In turn, he promised that his ignorant little brother would stay that way. Secretly, she liked this side of him; the side that was protective and caring towards her. She was still getting used to it. The first morning she woke up with his arm draped possessively over her waist, her back firmly pressed against his chest. Had she not been fully rested, she would have been angry with him for still being there. However, the moment he left, she cursed herself for feeling lonely.

Now that they had settled into a routine, she didn't even need him to compel her to sleep. Him being near her was enough for her body to relax and sleeping came as easily as it had before this little mishap. It scared her a little, that she was this comfortable around him, but she knew he would never compel her to do anything she didn't want to do.

A smile touched her lips as her eyes stared blankly at the book in front of her. The breeze picked up stray hairs and tugged them in a way that made her shiver. She was in the courtyard of the school, waiting for Stefan to return to their table. He had offered to get her lunch and she let him. Instead of reading her book as she planned, her thoughts drifted off to this morning.

_"You said you would be gone in the morning," she said as the arm that was possessively draped over her waist tightened._

_ Lips touched her bare shoulder earning an elbow in his side. "I didn't say every morning," he pointed out as she turned around to face him._

_ His arm was still around her as she propped her head up on her hand to look into his blue eyes. "I think we should go over the rules one more time."_

_ His brow furrowed in fake confusion. "I don't recall there being any rules."_

_ "Bull," she returned and smiled despite herself._

_ That trademark smirk of his appeared on his face at her comment. "Alright, tell me to leave and I will." Elena narrowed her eyes at him, taking her bottom lip between her teeth in attempt to hide her smile. This only caused his smirk to turn to a full blown grin. "Well, well, well, Elena Gilbert doesn't want to get rid of me."_

_ She pushed him slightly and sat up..._

Bonnie stopped once she rounded the corner, causing Stefan to bump into her. "Sorry," she said, eyes focused on Elena. The smile she saw on her friend's face was something she hadn't seen in a few weeks and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. "Elena's..."

"She's feeling better," Stefan agreed, looking at Elena with pride. The smile on her face was a secretive one. He wished he knew what she was thinking about.

"That's...good," Bonnie said, turning to look at him. "Any idea what brought on the sudden change of mood?"

He shook his head. He remembered how quick she had been to run out of the boarding house after they had made love and then the next day everything was fine. Elena was back to her old self without any of the nervous agitation in her personality that had been there for a very strange week. "Not a clue."

"Well, whatever it is, I hope it's permanent," the witch said, moving forward.

"You and me both," Stefan muttered, following her to the table.

Elena jumped as her best friend and boyfriend joined her at the table. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard them coming. She closed her book and leaned in to Stefan's makeshift hug. "You scared me," she breathed, smiling across the table at Bonnie.

"We didn't mean to."

"Good book?" Stefan asked, looking at the item now closed in front of Elena.

She shrugged, putting it in her backpack before going after the tray of food Stefan brought with him. "It's alright."

"Then what was the smile for?" Bonnie asked.

Elena tensed for just a moment, a moment that didn't go unnoticed, and then smiled again. She looked at Stefan through her lashes. "I was thinking of you."

Bonnie's tongue protruded out of her mouth as she pointed to it. "If you're going to talk like this, I might as well go hang out with Caroline and Matt."

Both Stefan and Elena laughed lightly. "We'll stop," she promised.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Bonnie said lightly, smiling at them.

The three of them began a conversation, carrying on as if nothing had happened. Bonnie could feel the change in Elena; that dark cloud inside of her was gone. In it's place was a silver light, shining around her effervescently. It was very strange indeed, but she wasn't going to question it. Her best friend had her spirit back and that was all that mattered.

Five minutes before the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Bonnie parted ways with them, giving the two lovers some time to themselves. "I have to ask you something," Stefan said, straddling the bench to face Elena.

"Ask away."

"What changed to make you, well, _you_ again?"

Anticipating this, Elena's smile never wavered. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his. "You helped quite a bit."

"I did?"

She nodded and pulled back to look at him. "After I left you, again, sorry for running out like that, I talked to Jenna. Between the two of you, I just..." she fumbled for words, smiling the entire time. "I don't know, I just feel like myself again."

He cupped her jaw and stared at her. "Damon said he compelled you to sleep. Is that true?"

"Yes," she replied even though he didn't know the entire truth of the situation.

"Why did you let him? You know it's dangerous to be around him without your necklace on."

She pulled out of his grasp and got to her feet. "He won't hurt me," she said in Damon's defense. "Besides, it worked, didn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

"Leave it alone, Stefan," she demanded. Her face softened as he looked up at her. "It wasn't ideal, but I haven't had a nightmare since."

He inclined his head, knowing that since that night, she had been going back to her normal self. Stefan hated the fact that Damon had been the one to help her in the end, but he had to accept it and move on. "Alright, I'll never bring it up again."

"Thank you," she said as he stood up and wrapped his arms around her, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. The bell rang and she sighed, the vibration coursing through both of their bodies. "Time for class," she muttered, tipping her head back so she could kiss him properly before they parted ways.

* * *

Damon's back rested against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him. There was a bottle of scotch and a glass on the table beside him. All of the windows were open, the sunshine lighting up his master suite naturally. He held the book in both of his hands, eyes focused on the exposed page. He had been here since he left Elena's this morning. After he took an icy cold shower of course. His initial plan had backfired, but the outcome was just as good as he had hoped for.

At the sound of the front door opening downstairs, he placed the book on his chest to keep his spot and listened for a heartbeat. He took a deep breath, that intoxicating and familiar scent of _her _washing over him. It was a little odd that she was here considering there was still three hours of school left to go, but he wasn't going to argue with her about it. Especially since she knew that Stefan wasn't home. That thought alone made him happier than he cared to admit.

He heard her ascending the stairs, her footsteps stopping right outside his door. He held his book once more, pretending to not have noticed her intrusion. His door opened quietly to reveal Elena. "What can I do for you?" he asked without looking up.

When she didn't say anything, he closed the book and set it next to the liquor on the table. It was then that he dared to look at her. She approached him in a way that made it look as though she were floating across the room. Damon couldn't take his eyes off of her, held captive by her obvious determination. She stopped once she was standing by his side and reached out to cup his face with one hand. As her thumb traced his lips, he brought her onto his lap.

She sat on her knees as she straddled him. Her fingers sunk into his hair, gripping it gently to tug his head back so she could lean down and kiss him. He hesitated, unsure if he should push her away. This was not like the Elena that he knew, but the moment her tongue swiped across his lips, his parted and all rational thought gave way to desire.

He wanted her; plain and simple.

She wanted _him_; that was all that mattered.

He put one hand on her waist as the other went to the small of her back beneath her shirt. Her hands were still buried in his hair, keeping his head bent backwards so she could deepen the kiss. The fact that she was demanding control made him harden with want. She ground her hips downwards, teasing him with a brief contact of her core against his prominent arousal. She caught his lip between her teeth and tugged slightly, getting a growl from him in response. She hissed as the hand on her hip dug into her skin leaving marks in the process. She kissed him harder in return, pushing him further into the headboard. Damon groaned at the display of aggression from the girl he had pegged for being shy. That would teach him to judge a book by its cover. Then again, her dream persona had been _very_ adventurous...

His groaned into the kiss as he pulled himself out of his thoughts, reminding himself that his ultimate fantasy was in front of him; his for the taking. Elena was here out of her own free will and from the looks of things, she wasn't going to stop any time soon. That pushed him into the right frame of mind. He tightened his hold on her and surged forward until she was on the bed beneath him. Her legs locked firmly around his waist while her nails raked at his back. The sight of her hair fanned out on the bed spread beneath her sent a jolt through his body. It was an emotion that he hadn't felt in quite a long time, causing him to pull back slightly. She pouted, bringing her hands back up to his soft, dark locks. Her body arched up, pressing tightly against his as he returned his lips to hers.

Somewhere along the way, their clothes had been removed and they were now bare. Skin-to-skin contact in the most biblical sense. His lips moved from hers to gently kiss his way down her neck. Her head ground against his comforter, throat arching up to expose it to his lips. As he felt the familiar pressure in his gums, she caught him by surprise when she managed to flip them over. She sat straight up, back arched elegantly as she smiled down at him.

He blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what was wrong with this picture. There was something about her eyes that didn't sit well with him. She lifted herself enough to impale herself on his length. His hands rose to her hips to hold her in place, unable to tear his eyes away from hers. Their bodies rose and fell in time with each other, but the passion was gone. He sat up, moving his hands to her sides so he could be closer to her. There was a faint smile on her lips before she cupped the back of his head and leaned in to kiss him.

He was expecting a gentle kiss, but hissed in surprise when she grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. His nails dug into her skin, drawing blood. It was then that he understood what was wrong. Her lips touched his throat and his eyes squeezed shut at the feel of sharp fangs piercing his skin. "Katherine," he hissed.

She pulled back, licking her lips as two thin red lines stained her skin at either side of her mouth. "Hello Damon," she breathed. Faster than his inhuman eye could follow, she gripped his face in both of her hands, twisting until his neck snapped and everything went black.

* * *

Damon sprang to his feet, fangs out, hissing at the emptiness of his room. The bottle of scotch on his dresser was on it's side, the amber liquid creating a waterfall on its way to the floor. The glass tumbler was in pieces on the ground having been knocked over in his haste to get up. The images of his "dream" were running through his mind on a loop; his body still in an aroused state from the lifelike feel. He was panting lightly, a sign that it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. Someone or something was putting thoughts into _his_ head.

He relaxed a little as he searched the house with his senses. The only thing he could sense was the white owl outside the closest window. It watched him intently for a few heartbeats and then took off into the sky. He was alone; just as he had been prior to falling asleep. Another sign that his "dream" wasn't normal. He hardly slept at night, much less during the day. _So this is what Elena experienced, _he thought, raking a hand through his hair that had been dampened with sweat. _No wonder she hated it_.

He looked down at his body, particularly the part of him that refused to calm down. He ground his teeth. He was supposed to the be one that gave out dreams and fantasies. He hated the fact that someone was giving him a taste of his own medicine. There was only one other person who he knew could do that was...

"No," he said aloud, forcing his feet to move towards his private bathroom. "It wasn't real. Katherine is gone," he told himself. He had to repeat it several times while he waited for the water get as cold as it could. He snorted. _Of course it wasn't real, Elena would never come to me willingly. Not when she was in love with Saint Stefan._ The bitterness of his thoughts made him shudder involuntarily.

The moment the icy water touched his skin, he flipped that inner switch that allowed him to ignore his emotions.


	9. Chapter 9

NINE

After school, Elena waited in front of her locker for Stefan. Unfortunately, Caroline found her first. "You're in a good mood," the blonde said, leaning against the row of metal at her side, cutting off Elena's view of the student body.

She nodded, still smiling at her friend. "Is it noticeable?" she asked sarcastically, knowing full well that it was.

Caroline grinned. "Almost to a sickening degree," she teased and then straightened up. "Which is why I came to ask you this."

"Ask me what?" Elena returned, catching sight of Stefan as he rounded the corner on his way to her.

"How would you like to do a double date tonight?"

That got the smile off of Elena's face. It wasn't anger or anything negative, just shock that Caroline would want this. She knew her and Matt were having some difficulty where Elena was concerned. "Really?" she questioned, casting an uneasy glance at Caroline.

"This request is totally selfish," she said, reaching up to adjust her necklace. "I want Matt to see how amazing you and Stefan are together. I want him to accept that fact that you moved on."

"Ah."

"So, the Grill at seven?"

"You're just assuming we'll be there?"

Caroline grinned again, waggling her fingers at Stefan as he took his place by Elena's side, looping an arm around her waist. "Where are we going?"

"The four of us are having dinner at the Grill," Caroline said, smirking at her victory. "We'll see you at seven," she added and walked off to Matt who was waiting at his locker.

Stefan turned to Elena with a raised brow. She shrugged and put her arms around his shoulders. "Apparently, we're double dating with Matt and Caroline tonight."

"Oh. Is that a problem for you?"

"No," she answered and shook her head. "I never really thought about it actually. What about you?"

"No problem from my end. It's been awhile since we've gone out anyway."

Her head tilted to the side as she mulled it over. "Then I guess we're going to the Grill," she said lightly and stood up on her toes to kiss him briefly. "Want to come to my house?"

"Now?"

She nodded. "Jenna should still be at work and on Friday Jeremy goes out with his 'friends' so we'll have the house to ourselves."

He smiled faintly and pulled her closer. "How can I say no to that?" he asked.

"You can't," she replied and wiggled her way out of his grasp to gather her things. "Follow me in your car?"

He nodded and they parted ways. The entire ride home, the smile on her face was still there, getting wider and wider the closer she got to her destination. Maybe this time, their tryst would be normal. It was something to look forward to. As she pulled up to her house, her hope diminished at the sight of an unfamiliar car next to Jenna's. She parked and stood next to her car while she waited for Stefan to catch up with her.

"I thought no one was home," he said as he took her hand and laced their fingers together.

"No one's supposed to be," she muttered. "Sorry."

"Hey," he said, pulling her to a stop when they got to her door. He had her between him and the wall, a hand cupping her face. "Plenty of time for that another day."

"I know," she whispered. "I was just looking forward to it."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. She broke the kiss to open the door, that smile still on her face. The sight of it made Stefan feel better. He missed this side of her, her ability to see the bigger picture and enjoy life. As they stepped over the threshold, she stopped, causing him to collide into her. He looked over her shoulder to see a man sitting on one of the barstools across from Jenna. He couldn't see her, but he could hear her talking.

The man did a double take at the sight of the two teenagers and stood up. "Ah, Elena, my favorite niece," he said, making his way over to her. "And who is this young gentleman?" he asked, stopping in the entrance way.

Stefan straightened; the man was looking at him as if he knew Stefan's secret and disapproved of his relationship with Elena. "Uncle John," Elena said coldly.

Stefan glanced at the back of Elena's head before returning to look at the man before them. The icy tone in her voice surprised him. He never thought he would hear that from her. He shuddered as it triggered a memory from his past. _She sounds like Katherine_. "Stefan Salvatore," he said out loud, stepping out from behind Elena to shake her uncle's hand.

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Salvatore."

"Likewise," he returned, unable to shake the uneasy feeling at the man's presence.

"Your aunt and I were discussing possibilities for dinner. Any suggestions?" he asked, his eyes shifting to Elena who was still glaring daggers at him.

"I have plans."

"Cancel them."

Her body went rigid as her hands clenched at her sides. "I-"

Jenna stepped into the room to join them and sighed. "John's only in town for the night. Elena, whatever you planned, cancel it. I already called Jeremy and he'll be here too. Stefan, you're more than welcome to join." The irritable tone in her voice wasn't lost on anyone.

"If it's alright with you, I can cook," Stefan suggested, figuring it was the best way to impress John who already didn't like him. Maybe it would be for Elena; cooking always helped him calm down.

Jenna looked at him and smiled with relief. "That would be perfect. You and your brother are natural born chefs," she complimented and turned to go back to the kitchen, glaring at John as she went.

Stefan smirked at the action and looked at Elena who sighed in defeat. "I guess I'll go upstairs and break the news to Caroline," she mumbled, grabbing Stefan's hand.

He followed her, more or less on his own accord, and stepped away from her as she slammed the door. A string of curses left her mouth causing his brows to rise in shock. He had never heard her use that kind of language before. "I take it he's not your favorite relative," Stefan said, trying to lighten the mood.

Elena paused in her rant to look at him and smiled. Her smile turned into a small burst of laughter and she shook her head. "Not really, no," she said, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. "Sorry, that was really bad manners back there."

"Why don't you like him?"

"I don't know, actually. Jeremy adores him, but I've always got this weird vibe from him. We never got along and we go out of our way to ignore each other when he's in town. Even when my parents were still here," she explained and shrugged for the hundredth time that day. "Thanks for offering to cook, but I highly doubt Jenna's got anything in the fridge."

He sat back, propping himself up on his elbows while she dug her phone from her pocket. "I like challenges."

"I'll cook if you tell Caroline the good news," she bargained.

This time he laughed. "No thanks."

She pushed him lightly and stood up. "Can't say I didn't try," she quipped and dialed her friend's number.

Caroline answered on the first ring. "No, you're not getting out of this Gilbert."

"I have to," Elena said. "Trust me, there's nothing more I would love to do then get out of this house tonight."

"Then why are you canceling?"

"Uncle John's in town tonight."

Caroline's silence meant she knew Elena was telling the truth. "Do you want to hang out tomorrow then?"

Elena smiled at her words. Everyone knew that when Uncle John was in town, Elena was pretty much off limits. Her friends didn't like him either. "Tomorrow," she promised. "Same time, same place."

"If I have to come kidnap you, I will," Caroline said and laughed. "Good luck," she added and then hung up.

"That went better than I expected," she said, slipping the phone back into her pocket. Her body stilled at the sight of Stefan scrawled across her bed. _Can he pick up Damon's scent_? That made her a little uneasy. "We should go to the store."

He heard the change of tone in her voice and looked at her. He wasn't quite sure how to take the look on her face either. She was watching him as if he were close to finding out something that would upset him. "I'll drive," he said. As he got to his feet, he noticed her body relax. He decided to let the issue drop; obviously it wasn't a big deal because her good mood was still intact; as much as it could after the surprise visit from her uncle. With that, they headed outside to his car.

* * *

By the time dinner was on the table, Elena felt more relaxed. Stefan was satisfied with himself at having been right that cooking could sooth her. She had been right about Jeremy and John; they got along very well. Stefan had never seen this side of Jeremy meaning the drugs were definitely a phase in his life, a way to cope with the loss of his parents. He even noticed the awkward tension and disgust radiating off of Jenna. It was obvious to him that they had slept together once upon a time especially from their not so playful banter at the dinner table.

Most of the talking was done by Jeremy and John with a little interjection from Jenna here and there. That was completely okay with both Stefan and Elena. When dinner was over, they were the first to get up and begin gathering dishes. "Oh no, you cooked, we'll clean," Jenna said, gesturing at the other two male bodies at the table. "Right boys?"

They paused to stare at her and then at each other before they nodded. Jenna tipped her head in the direction of the living room, motioning for her niece to follow her along with her boyfriend. Once they were out of earshot from Jeremy and John, Jenna and Elena seemed to relax even more. "That was better than I thought it would be," Stefan said as he sat next to Elena on the couch.

Jenna gave him a dull stare from the chair she had plopped down into. "You're way too polite. John is an ass. It's okay if you say it," she said, cracking a smile at him.

He grinned and leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees. "Thanks for cooking dinner," Elena said, putting her hand on his back. "It was amazing."

"Where did you learn to cook like that?" Jenna asked.

He gave her a secretive smile as he replied, "I can't reveal my sources."

Jenna shook her head and sighed as Jeremy called her name from the kitchen. "Excuse me."

"Thank you," Elena breathed, leaning forward to mimic his position.

"For?"

"For staying with me. You didn't have to do that."

He put his hand on her knee and squeezed for comfort. "I see why you don't like him. He's not exactly the warm and open kind of guy."

"Nope," she said in agreement, sitting back again.

"I'm glad to see that even he can't spoil your good mood," he said, turning his head to smile at her.

She grinned and closed her eyes. "Me too."

She swallowed, her exposed throat moving in an enticing way. Stefan got to his feet and brushed his palms against his jeans. "I should get going."

"Now?" she asked, opening her eyes to look at him. She saw the edge of his eyes darkening with hunger. "Oh."

"Sorry," he mumbled. "The last thing I want to do is leave you, but I need to go."

She got to her feet and kissed him on the cheek. "I understand. I'll see you tomorrow."

She walked behind him to the door and followed him out onto the porch. "Love you," he said, kissing her forehead.

"You too," she returned, watching him as he walked to his car and began to drive away.

"How long have you been with him?" John asked, causing her to jump. She had _just_ shut the door and she could have sworn that he hadn't been in the foyer.

"Several months. He moved here just in time to start school."

"Hmm."

"Is there a problem?" she asked, challenging him to say otherwise.

He stared at her for a long moment and then shook his head. "No, there's no problem."

She nodded in triumph. "I have homework to do. Thanks for stopping by," she said in an insincere voice before heading up to her room.

Once she was behind closed doors, she rested her back against the door and sighed. It was too early to go to bed and she had all weekend to do her homework. Besides, Damon wasn't even there yet. That made her pause on her way to the bed. Maybe she didn't need him to sleep anymore. It had been a week or so since she had had any dreams or daydreams and she was in a good mood. Deciding to try it for herself, she fished for her iPod in her purse, set it on the nightstand, and then got dressed for bed. After crawling beneath the covers, she put in the earbuds and selected a song. The soft melody in her ears combined with the darkness of her room instantly put her in a tranquil state.

Elena lay in the middle of the bed on her back. She stared at the ceiling, listening to song after song wondering where Damon was. As time continued to pass, her eyelids began to feel heavy. Finally, she let them close and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Part of her felt lonely and sad that Damon wasn't here, but the other part of her was relieved. She was no longer dependent. That was probably for the best, she was beginning to get too comfortable around him.

She felt the air shift in the room followed by both a chilly blast of air and extra weight pressing her further into the mattress. Elena's eyes snapped open to see Damon above her, propped up on his forearms. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked, pulling out her headphones.

Fear coursed through her as he leaned to one side and placed his hand on her chest, directly over her heart. He felt it beating beneath his fingers and frowned. Her chest rose and fell quickly as her breathing increased. She wasn't sure what he was going to do and it scared her. For a second, she thought this was another dream, but he was frozen. In her dreams, he would be moving his hand an inch or two lower and he would already be kissing her.

"Your heart's beating," he stated, sounding almost disappointed, breaking the tension in the atmosphere.

"And I intend to keep it that way," she breathed, her voice not as strong as she would have liked. His hand began to move, sliding upwards until his fingers were curled around her slender throat. She swallowed, the action vibrating through him. Elena went rigid as she searched his face. It was stony, not an ounce of emotion in sight. Something was wrong with him, but she was too afraid to do anything about it. His fingers began to apply pressure, not much, but enough to make her breath become ragged. "Damon..." she breathed, pleading for him to stop.

His eyes finally met hers and something snapped inside of him. Recognition washed over him and he moved to lie on his side next to her. She gasped for air, forcing herself to stay put rather than run and risk him really hurting her. Her brow furrowed in confusion as he moved so he was lying with his back to her. "I'm here. You can sleep now." His voice didn't exactly sound normal to her.

She took a few deep, quiet breaths; fighting the urge to point out that she had been asleep before he arrived. Gathering her headphones, she put them in her ears, rolled onto her side, and closed her eyes. It was strange that he had even showed up. Obviously, something had happened to him during the day and yet he was here. Albeit, he was in a very dark place, but he was here. She rolled slightly to see the majority of the bed between them; their backs turned towards each other. Figuring now was not the best time to question him, she turned back and closed her eyes for the last time that night. Surprisingly, she fell asleep without a single dream, the music still filling her ear canal.

Her last thought was hope that Jenna didn't come into her room that night.


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: This one's a little short, but I think content makes up for it. :)**

TEN

Something sharp and soft trailed up and down the length of her spine, rousing Elena from sleep. Her eyes remained closed as her body slowly responded to being awake. The stroking continued, sending a light, pleasurable sensation over her skin. In response, she arched her back, her chest bumping into something solid. Her eyes snapped open to see Damon lying on his side facing her. His eyes were open, staring at her with a gentleness she had never seen in him before. She blinked just to make sure that she wasn't seeing things, but he was still there. A soft smile played at his lips as his hand continued to glide up and down her spine. His other hand was tucked behind his head as a makeshift pillow.

She adjusted so she could look at him and be comfortable at the same time. "What time is it?"

"Five."

Her eyes widened in alarm, glancing past his shoulder to see weak sunlight coming through the window. "Are you sure?"

"In the morning."

She frowned at him. "Then why are you waking me up?" she groused, eyes closing slightly.

"I didn't mean to." Her eyes opened again at the apologetic undertone in his voice.

"And you're touching me," she pointed out, unable to contain the smile that took shape on her lips.

"There's no rule about that."

"Ah ha!" she exclaimed quietly, her smile turning into a grin. "So you do remember the rules."

He smirked as his hand came to rest at the small of her back. Her shirt had come up during the night, allowing his hand to be in direct contact with her skin, his thumb moving back and forth gently. "I wanted to apologize to you."

Elena's eyes widened again. "I think I might want to get this in writing," she said dryly. His quiet laughter rumbled through his chest which could be felt through her entire body.

"I didn't mean to attack you like that."

Her shoulders lifted casually. "I don't know if that qualified as an attack, really. It was more of a scare than anything. You didn't physically hurt me."

His smile faded and his eyes were filled with sadness. He was full of surprises tonight. His hand traveled up to her shoulder and then sank into hair. "I could have," he replied, brushing his thumb along her temple. "I wanted to."

He watched as her brown eyes narrowed in confusion. "Did I do something to you? Whatever it was, I swear I didn't mean it," she said lightly.

Damon's head shook once and a sad smile crept onto his face as he cupped hers. "You didn't do anything to me, Elena. My mood had nothing to do with you," he said, reliving the cold look on Katherine's face as she killed him.

Elena's breath caught in her throat as she felt him shudder. "Damon?" she called out softly, searching his face for some indication of what he was thinking. He was too caught up in staring at her face. It amazed him that Elena could look so innocent and caring while Katherine was cold and calculating. Both women were beautiful, but very, _very _different. The more he stared at her, the more she started to worry. Elena brought her hand up to rest on his ribs. His eyes flickered to her hand and then returned to her face. "You okay?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," he assured her. Although, he _did_ think that she deserved to know about Katherine. Of course he and Stefan had told her about the woman the two of them had both fallen for once upon a time, but neither of them clued her into the fact that the two women could be twins. It was hard to tell them apart when he first laid eyes on her; the only difference was the beating heart. Now he knew the difference; Elena was everything good in this world while Katherine was the polar opposite.

One of her brows arched at him. "That's not fair," she said, her lips turning into a pout.

"What's not?"

"I told you what was bothering me. It's only fair that you tell me what's on your mind."

He grinned and moved his thumb along her cheekbone. He was secretly pleased that she hadn't pulled away or demanded he stop touching her yet. It was a step in the right direction. "You're right, it's not fair."

"But?" she asked darkly.

"But I don't want to talk about it."

She frowned, knowing that he wasn't going to say anything else about it. "Ever?"

"No, just...not right now," he breathed.

She nodded and let her eyes close again. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, enjoying the sensation of his fingers tracing her jaw, her lips, and the occasional brush to her neck. She knew she should tell him to stop, but it felt too good for her to care. It wasn't like they were doing anything that would damage her relationship with Stefan. Lying aside. "But soon," she murmured.

"Soon," he promised in a hushed voice. "Go back to sleep," he added.

Her eyes opened halfway so she could see him. "Are you going to leave?"

"Do you want me to?" he asked playfully, hoping that she would tell him no.

"Up to you," she breathed. It wasn't a yes which was satisfactory enough for him. "Thank you," she added. Her voice was barely audible even to him.

"For?" he asked carefully.

This time her eyes were fully open, taking in the intensity of his steel blue gaze. "For doing this. We both know you don't have to be here or stop influencing my dreams, but you did and I need to thank you for that. You're not as bad as you claim to be."

He smiled in a sly way. "I wouldn't say that last part again if I were you. I might have to prove you wrong."

She half-grinned as she lifted her head. "Whatever," she breathed and surprised them both by leaning in to press her lips against the cool skin of his cheek.

They both froze; afraid to move.

When she did find the strength to move, it was to bring her lips to his instead of withdrawing from him. Damon remained motionless beneath her, unsure if he should pull away or wait to see what she did next. Before he could make up his mind, her lips parted on their own accord. Deciding to not pass up this opportunity, he followed her lead and felt a wave of triumph wash over him at the feel of her tongue mingling with his. It took every ounce of his strength and force of will to keep himself where he was. He wanted nothing more than to roll her onto her back and feel her body pressed against his.

Yet, he was afraid that any movement of his would scare her away. That, he did not want.

Her hands slid from his ribs to the bed beside him. Her arm straightened so she could push herself up enough to hover above him, getting leverage to deepen the kiss. He adjusted his body so that it fit more comfortable against her. The arm that had been tucked behind his head was being used to hold himself up while the other cupped her face. As Elena shifted closer to him, unable to stop herself, her thigh brushed against the rising bulge of his pants. It woke the rational part of her brain and she pulled away abruptly.

She scrambled off the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. "I- I think you should go," she said in a shaky voice.

She watched him get up from the corner of her eye. Elena moved until her back was firmly against the dresser, giving him enough space to get to the window without touching her. Fortunately, he took the hint and steered clear of her. He paused before undoing the lock and looked her up and down. "Just to be clear, this was not my fault."

"I know," she admitted in a voice so low that he barely heard her. Those words stirred something in the pit of his stomach; something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Elena-" he started.

Her head snapped up to meet his gaze. "Please go," she whispered as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Should I come back tonight?" he asked tightly.

Her head shook briefly. "I think I'll be okay," she answered, not sure if it was true, but it was better than risking a repeat performance. Damon nodded once and then opened the window. Just like that, he was gone.

Elena returned to her bed, falling onto the comforter with a heavy sigh. Only one tear slid down her cheek as she curled into the fetal position and tried to understand what had compelled her to kiss him. He certainly hadn't put the idea into her head; it had been her choice. Refusing to cry, her eyes squeezed shut against the tears as she forced herself to fall back to sleep.

Damon waited for her to fall back to sleep, just to make sure that she wasn't going to fall apart by her actions. The last thing he needed was her to go back to the upset Elena he had turned her into a few weeks ago. However, their interaction had finally given him the answer he had been searching for all this time.

At first, he had stayed in town because he was curious about her; mostly her resemblance to Katherine. Naturally, once Stefan had claimed her as his, Damon felt the need to make it a game and try to steal her away; just because he could, not because he wanted her. Somewhere along the way, that had changed as well. He had fallen for Katherine because of her deadly beauty, her lack of fear, and her passion. While she had done everything for selfish reasons, he knew that Elena possessed those same qualities. The difference was that she was self_less_ in everything that she did.

He had been obsessed with getting Elena away from Stefan to punish his brother for taking Katherine from him. Now, he wanted her because he truly believed that they were meant for each other.

There _was_ something inside of her that felt something for him in return. Damon was determined to find out exactly how much.

Because, God help him, he was in love with Elena Gilbert.


	11. Chapter 11

ELEVEN

Elena woke from a fitful sleep to the sound of arguing outside of her door. She blinked a few times after opening her eyes and waited for the room to stop spinning as she attempted to recognize the voices. It was Jenna and Jeremy, that much she gathered, but she couldn't tell what they were arguing about. Curiosity getting the best of her, she got to her feet and stumbled across the room to open her door. Her aunt and her brother stopped mid-sentence to look at her.

"We didn't mean to wake you," Jenna said apologetically.

Jeremy used the momentary distraction to dash into his room, slamming the door forcefully behind him. Elena stared at the door still shaking on it's hinges and then slowly turned to face her aunt. "What was that about?"

"My attempt at parenting."

The corners of Elena's mouth twitched with the beginnings of a smile. "You might want to try a different approach."

Jenna's brow rose in sarcasm and then her eyes rolled. "You think?"

"What did he do this time?"

She shrugged, "More of the same. Do you have anything planned for today?"

Elena nodded slowly. "Since I had to cancel on Caroline last night, she moved our plans to tonight."

"What were you going to do?" Jenna asked as the two girls began heading downstairs to the kitchen.

"She suggested a double date so that means pool and dinner at the Grill."

"Ah," her aunt replied, eyes widening with faked enthusiasm.

Elena felt her own eyes widened as she glimpsed the clock on the oven. "Is it really almost noon?"

Jenna smiled and nodded in her direction. "First, you can't sleep, now you can't stop."

The younger girl tried to wrack her brain, searching for the reason she had slept so late. As Jenna opened the fridge, the thought came to her, making her stop dead in her tracks.

Damon.

She had kissed him.

Her hand went to her lips automatically as she recalled the feel of his lips against hers. Her heart skipped a beat as the ghost of his hand on her cheek caused a shiver to cascade down her spine. She shook herself out of the trance only to be faced with the image of sadness in those blue eyes as she told him he couldn't come back any more. That frightened her more than the kiss. The fact that Damon wanted to be there with her at night went against all of her preconceptions about him. He wasn't the murderous monster anymore, now, he was the person that lulled her to sleep and kept the boogie man away.

Another shudder rolled through her body as she thought about Stefan. They were in love and it didn't seem right that she and Damon were becoming friends behind his back. It made her feel as if she were doing something wrong. The kiss aside, they weren't doing anything that would jeopardize her relationship with Stefan.

Stefan.

A wave of nausea made her lean against the counter as her heart felt heavy with guilt. She had turned to his brother for comfort and help when she needed it the most instead of him. She straightened her stance, realizing that she had to tell him about everything, including the dreams she had been having about Damon.

Mind made up, she was brought back to reality to see Jenna turning around to face her. She stopped in mid-sentence and frowned at her niece. "You didn't hear a word I just said did you?"

Elena managed a small smile and shook her head. "Nope, sorry."

She sighed and smiled widely at the honest response. "It was boring adult talk anyway."

She nodded at her aunt and stepped back from the island. "I'm going to get ready and then head over to Stefan's. I'll be back late so don't wait up," she said in a rush and headed up to her room before Jenna could say anything else.

* * *

After a hurried shower and spending more time then she needed to get ready, Elena was on her way to the boarding house. It was two in the afternoon, five hours before they had to be at the Grill. That gave her plenty of time to talk to Stefan. She groaned, tightening her grip on the steering wheel. Although, if _he_ was there, she didn't think she could go through with it. What made the ride even more unpleasant was the thought of what would happen if Stefan wouldn't be there and Damon would be. Sure, she could have called ahead to make sure that he was, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

When she reached her destination, she spent ten minutes in the car, building up the courage to get out and face the music, so to speak. She let herself in, knocking felt too formal for their relationship. She closed the door softly behind her, turned towards the stairs, and stopped cold at the sudden movement to her right.

"Stefan isn't here," Damon informed her, lounging against the entrance to the parlor, a glass full of amber liquid in his hand.

"I'll wait in his room," she mumbled, walking as fast as she could in the direction of the stairs.

"Elena?" he called after her. She stopped with her hand on the banister, one leg on the first step, the other on the landing. She didn't say a word, but cocked her head in his direction, waiting for him to continue. "I'm sorry."

That caused her to turn and look at him. Their eyes met, a spark jolting through both of their bodies as they relived the kiss at the same moment. "You have nothing to be sorry about," she said lightly. Instead of letting him respond to that, she rushed on. "I'm telling Stefan everything. He deserves to know the truth about what's going on between us."

"What _is_ going on between us?" he asked, walking lazily towards her.

She ground her teeth, but held her ground. "Nothing."

"I don't think that kiss was nothing."

She held out her hand, signaling for him to stop and he did. "I have no problem being your friend Damon. I really do appreciate what you've done for me, even if it was your fault that something was wrong in the first place. But I draw the line at friendship. I will _not_ be like Katherine."

Elena saw the way his jaw hardened. _If only you knew_, he thought and took a deep drink. "You could never be like Katherine, even if you tried," he said.

Her head tilted to the side as she detected a trace of bitterness in his voice. She let it go; for now, adding it to the list of things he had to talk to her about. "I don't want to lie to Stefan anymore."

He nodded, although it wasn't to agree with her. "Then don't lie to him, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to tell him about...us." He grinned at that last part, but only for a brief moment.

"Give me one good reason why I should keep this from him?"

"Because there's something you don't know about Katherine and the two of us."

Elena crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Such as...?"

"I'm not the one dating you, I don't have to tell you," he quipped, flashing another brilliant smile at her. "However, if you tell him about our time together, he _will_ get the wrong idea and bad things will happen."

She shook her head and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Stefan isn't going to go berserk because you've been helping me. He will get mad that you started it and that I didn't tell him about it sooner, but-" she stopped and looked away from him.

"But what?"

"He's not you; he's not going to lash out because he's angry," she said weakly, staring at the floor.

Her body tensed as she heard him move forward, stopping right in front of her. He lifted her face up by cupping her chin lightly so he could see her eyes, now misty with tears. "Do I need to remind you that _lover boy_ is still a vampire? His true nature is the same as mine; give in to your impulses and think later."

She shook her head despite his hold. "No, Stefan is stronger than that."

"Resisting the urge to drink human blood is not being strong, it's being stupid. It makes him weak and vulnerable."

"He isn't-"

"Elena, think about it. If you tell Stefan how I influenced you to dream of me to the point where you couldn't sleep-"

"That's not why I couldn't sleep," she interrupted.

"What was the problem then?"

"You kissed me while I was asleep. It made me afraid to sleep because I couldn't help but wonder if you were going to come back and try something else; that I wouldn't wake up if you did," she whispered, closing her eyes again.

Damon felt sick at her words. He reached out and caught her hands in his. "That was the first and only time I did that, I swear. I still don't have an explanation for you, just an apology."

She nodded, looking down at her hands that were still held firmly in his. "What were you going to say?" she asked, accepting his answer for the time being.

"If Stefan were to find out that you asked me for help when I was the cause of your problem, he's going to question your relationship," he answered softly.

She closed her eyes in defeat and looked back up at him, knowing he was right. Stefan would never understand her reasoning for going to Damon for help over the man she was supposed to be in love with, let along forgive her. She didn't even understand it herself, but here they were. "I can't lie to him anymore," she breathed.

"I know," he returned, and stepped back to give her some breathing room. "Just ask yourself, is it worth the risk of getting him upset over nothing?"

But it wasn't nothing; she had kissed him because she wanted to, free of compulsion. Instead of answering him, she turned towards the stairs and began to ascend without a word. She knew he was right, Stefan didn't need to know that she had gone to Damon instead of him when she needed help. He would definitely think that something was going on between the two of them. Elena was determined to keep her distance from him now to ensure that nothing _would_ happen between her and Damon. Not again.

"Stefan left about ten minutes ago to feed," Damon called up after her. "He'll be back in an hour or so."

"Thanks," she said, knowing he could hear her even though her voice was barely above a whisper.

As she got to the landing, she heard the front door shut with a soft, but rough thud, indicating that Damon had left as well. She was alone in the boarding house, a place that she nearly always felt safe in. Today was an exception. She found herself moving more quickly down the hall to Stefan's room and hurried to shut the door behind her. Elena stood with her back against it, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. She began laughing at herself, feeling foolish for being afraid of nothing.

Feeling a little better, she pushed herself away from the door and walked aimlessly around the room. She had been in here plenty of times, but she had never _seen_ it. Her legs carried her to the large bookshelf where she stopped. Her hand lifted up to the first shelf, using her index finger to idly scan the spines of books that had been in circulation for quite some time. It made her smile, knowing that all of these had been purchased as new. Stefan, being the avid reader that he was, had read each and every one of these books countless times over the last century and a half.

She moved slowly, inspecting each book. Only a few came off of the shelves so she could leaf through the pages and inhale the scent of weathered pages, a scent that she loved. In the process of taking one out, something nestled on top of the books and below the next shelf fell to the floor. She put the book back and knelt to pick up the box that had fallen. The contents had come out of it and as she picked them up, she felt a little guilty for snooping, but it hadn't been her intention.

She picked up the piece of paper that had landed face down. When she turned it over, her entire body froze. After a few moments, she slowly stood up, unable to tear her eyes away from the antique portrait in her hands. It was her face; _her_ face. Her hair was styled in a classic way, pulled away from her face with perfect curls that must have taken hours to do. Elena's eyes moved to the middle of the portrait to study the only part of clothing that was showing, revealing a nineteenth century ball gown.

As Elena's eyes continued to drift downward, a strangled cry escaped past her lips. There, in the bottom right corner, was a name and a date; an image she would never be able to get out of her brain. KATHERINE PIERCE, 1864. _So this is what Damon was talking about_, she thought, jumping as a tear landed on the hand that was holding the portrait. _I look _exactly_ like her. Why hadn't Stefan told me about this?_

Elena let go, watching through blurry eyes as the picture drifted to the floor. She turned from it and ran out of the room, wiping at the tears that were streaming down her face. As she got to the car, she fumbled with the keys, wanting more than anything to get away from the humiliation and anger that was raging inside of her.


	12. Chapter 12

TWELVE

After an hour of driving around town with tears that wouldn't shed, Elena grabbed her phone from the cup holder at her side and dialed the only person she could turn to. Bonnie. "I was just thinking about you," her friend said when she answered.

Elena swallowed around a tight throat, trying to gather enough strength to talk. "Are you home?"

Though her voice was clear, Bonnie, ever the best friend, detected the hidden sob. "Yes."

"I'm on my way," Elena replied and hung up, dropping her phone back into the cup holder as if it burned her.

She sped to Bonnie's, barely shutting the car off before getting out and running into the house where her friend was waiting. The witch noticed Elena's tears right off the bat and drew her into a hug, letting her cry on her shoulder. They stood there, in the middle of the front room, holding each other. When Elena stepped away, she wiped her eyes and smiled at her friend.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked.

"Before I answer you, I need to call Jenna. Can I borrow your phone?" she asked, having left hers in the car. Bonnie fished her phone from her pocket and retreated to the kitchen to give Elena some privacy. "Hey Jenna, it's Elena."

"Where's your phone? Did something happen?" Jenna questioned, obviously worried.

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm going to stay at Bonnie's tonight and-"

"I thought you were with Stefan."

"I- I was," she stammered. "Look, if Stefan or Damon call you or come in, can you not tell them anything? I don't want anyone knowing where I am." She mentally cursed herself; Damon would just compel Jenna to tell him where she was. But Stefan wouldn't, and right now, she was more angry with him.

"Did you two have a fight?"

"Yes," she answered quietly. It was the beginning of a fight whether Stefan realized it was coming or not.

Jenna sighed, "Alright, call me if you need anything and stay out of trouble," she said, giving her motherly speech.

"I will," she replied and hung up. Elena took a minute to breathe before going into the kitchen to return the phone to its owner. "Thank you."

Bonnie nodded, putting the phone back in her pocket. "You're welcome."

"Have either Stefan or Damon been invited in?"

"Here?" she asked and then shook her head while she thought. "No," she answered more confidently.

A wave of relief washed over Elena as she headed towards the stairs that would lead the two girls to Bonnie's bedroom. Knowing that she was going to have to confirm that the portrait had been real, simply by saying it out loud, made Elena begin to tremble. She sat on the bed, using the headboard as a backrest while Bonnie sat at the foot of the bed, facing her. Elena took a deep breath and let it out slowly, determined to keep the tears behind her eyes. She had cried enough already.

It was silent for a few minutes before Elena began speaking. "For the record, I was not snooping."

"You never do," Bonnie agreed.

The brunette's head nodded once before she continued. "I went to the boarding house to kill some time before we had to meet Caroline and Matt at the Grill. Damon was there and he told me that Stefan had just gone out to..." she paused and cleared her throat rather than say the phrase out loud. She knew Bonnie could fill in the blanks which was confirmed by a firm nod. "Damon left so I went up to Stefan's room to wait. I went to the bookcase to see if he had anything that I could read while I waited. I pulled a few books out so I could leaf through them, and when I pulled out one of them..." her voice trailed off as her voice refused to cooperate.

Bonnie leaned forward to touch her knee lightly. "It's okay, go on," she urged softly.

She nodded lightly, blinking a few times to keep the tears in. "There was something that dropped. It was a box that opened on impact and something fell out. I didn't want to leave it there so I picked it up. It was a portrait." Her body shook as the image floated across her mind. "A portrait of Katherine, dated 1864."

Bonnie looked at her in mild confusion. "It's normal for guys to have pictures of their exes. Especially first loves. You still have pictures of Matt in your room."

Elena moved her head back and forth, eyes closing against tears that were blurring her vision. "It was _my_ face."

"What?"

"The portrait," she whispered. "It was _me._ I look _exactly_ like Katherine and neither of them bothered to tell me."

She looked up, a few tears running from the corners of her eyes. Bonnie's eyes were narrowed, trying to figure things out. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Elena snapped. "I know my face when I see it. I'm telling you Bonnie, it was a picture of me but it was labeled as Katherine. Her hair and clothes were styled in that era's fashion, but it was clearly _me_." She sighed heavily, her heart twisting with emotional pain. _That's why they both stayed_, her inner voice whispered to her, making her feel even worse.

Bonnie was shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't think of any reason why Stefan kept that from you."

Elena nodded. "Me neither. It should have been the first thing out of his mouth."

"Why didn't Damon tell you?"

"He said that because he wasn't the one romantically involved with me, he didn't feel that it was his place. I can't be mad at him for this because he's right. Stefan is the one that claims to be in love with me, he should have been the one who told me about our resemblance the minute I found out what they are."

"I'm sure I can hex them both if you want me to," Bonnie offered after a little bit of a pause, unable to say anything else.

Elena smiled faintly but shook her head. "No, that's okay."

Bonnie moved so she was sitting next to her friend. Elena moved her head to rest it on the other girl's shoulder. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," she breathed. "I know that I have to talk to him about it; to both of them for keeping something like this from me. After that... I don't know. I love Stefan, I really do. I feel like I've found the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, but..."

"But?"

"All this time he's been with me, he's been seeing _her_."

"You don't know that."

Elena lifted her head to look at Bonnie. "No, but that's all I can think about. Seeing that portrait made me think that the only reason he stayed in town and befriended me in the first place was because he was trying to make me like her." Elena got off the bed and began to pace. "This explains so much. Katherine drove Stefan and Damon to turn on each other and here they are a hundred and fifty years later with her doppleganger. History really _does _repeat itself." The last part she grumbled to herself.

"Not if you don't let it happen."

Elena looked down at the floor. Too much had happened lately between her and the Salvatore brothers. Knowing that she was Katherine's carbon copy, she couldn't help but feel lost and confused. Damon was only using her to get back at Stefan, again, because of the resemblance, not because Stefan was in love.

More tears ran down her cheeks. "I've already let it happen," she whispered.

Bonnie's eyes went wide, but she let it go. This was not the time to press this particular issue. "I'll call Caroline and tell her that you and Stefan won't be there. She can yell all she wants, but I'll make sure she understands." With that, she left the room to give the other girl some space.

Elena barely heard her, too absorbed in her own thoughts. She had proven to both of them that their being vampires didn't bother her, she could live with that. She could even get over the fact that they had fallen for the same girl, the girl who turned them, but this...this was too much. Her eyes snapped open and her body straightened, fists clenching at her sides. If they wanted her to be Katherine, fine, she would be Katherine.

When Bonnie returned, she stopped dead in her tracks at the familiar sensation that rolled through the body. The blackness in Elena was back and it saddened Bonnie. She hated seeing her friend like this, it wasn't fair. She wanted, more than anything, to see both Stefan and Damon be hurt the way they were making Elena hurt. "Elena-"

"Can I borrow your phone again?" she asked, cutting off the witch, her mind already set on what she was going to do.

Bonnie handed it to her and made some excuse about going downstairs to get a glass of water. Elena dialed Stefan's number knowing he should be home by now. He never took his phone with him on the hunt; it might attract unwanted attention. "Hey Bonnie, I was just going to call you."

"It's me," she said.

She heard the slight hesitation on his end and her eyes closed. "Were you at the boarding house?"

"Yes."

"Did Damon say something to you?" he asked, a dark undertone in his voice.

"No, my leaving had nothing to do with Damon."

Another pause. "Elena, what's wrong? You sound..." he fumbled for the right word, not wanting to upset her any further. "What happened?"

"You lied to me."

"What?"

"You and Damon both," she said harshly. Elena rushed on to keep him from talking. "I don't want to get into this over the phone, but I'm angry with you. I won't be there for dinner tonight at the Grill and I don't want to see you."

"Ever?"

She mulled it over. "I don't know, but as of right now, you and I are on hiatus. Don't call me, don't come over, and tell Damon I don't want to see him either. If I so much as feel the air stir behind me, I will stake both of you, got it?" Her words were harsh indeed and although they both knew she truly didn't mean it, it got the point across. She needed a break and he was going to give it to her whether he liked it or not.

"Elena," he said in a whisper, pleading for an answer. "Tell me what I did wrong."

"When I can look at you without wanting to yell or cry or say something I'll regret, I'll come to you."

She heard him sigh, the kind of sigh that said he hated himself. "I love you."

That did it for her. She hung up and fell into a heap on the floor, using the dresser to rest her back on. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she sobbed. She hadn't cried like this since her parents had died and she had promised herself she never would again. Bonnie reentered the room and put her arms around Elena for comfort. Inside, she was thinking of every possible curse that would make the Salvatore brothers wish she would kill them.


	13. Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

Stefan paced his room, staring at the phone in his hands, going over a hundred different reasons why Elena would do this. He couldn't think of any; not one. He wanted Damon to come home, he was _aching_ for a fight. She had said he didn't do anything to her, but he knew his brother better than that. He hurled the phone across his room, watching as it shattered from the brute force of the collision. His hands raked through his hair as he looked around.

His room was in pristine condition, there was nothing out of place. Just as he had left it before he went hunting. Yet, he could pick up the faint trace of Elena's scent. She had been here recently, but he couldn't think of anything that would upset her, other than Damon. She wasn't the type to go snooping, not that he had anything to hide.

The front door opened downstairs, the sound of Damon whistling a tune from their past reached Stefan's ears. Using his inhuman speed, he raced to the foyer and slammed his brother into the door, splintering the wood on impact. His brother gave him a dull stare before letting his canines elongate, eyes darkening in blood lust, and returned the favor. Stefan went sailing through the air, crashing into the banister of the stairs. He gave a sharp hiss at the feel of wood lodged into his back.

Damon stood over him with his human face and stared at Stefan as if he were bored. "I don't appreciate that. Not one bit."

Stefan managed to get on his knees before he was able to reach behind him and get the splintered wood of the banister out of his back. Luckily, it hadn't been lethal, but it hurt just the same. "You sonofabitch!" he snarled.

Damon rolled his eyes as he watched Stefan stumble to his feet and stagger to the wall to hold himself up. "You did that all by yourself. If you hadn't attacked me, you wouldn't have gotten staked." Another eye roll. "What did I do this time?"

"Elena," he rasped out, wincing in pain as his skin began to heal. "What did you say to her?"

Luckily for Damon, Stefan was too busy healing to notice the eldest Salvatore grimace. _So she went ahead and told him anyway_. Deciding to play dumb, Damon shrugged. "She came here about an hour ago. I told her you had just left. She asked when you'd be back, so I told her and then added that I was leaving. She said she would be in your room and that was that."

Stefan looked at him in disbelief. "That's it?"

He nodded. "That's it," he repeated. "Where is she?" he asked, curious for himself. If something had happened to her while she was here...

"She's at Bonnie's. Or at least she's with her."

Damon made a gesture for him to continue. "And? Did she say why?"

"She said that we both lied to her. That she doesn't want to see either of us until she's calm enough to talk instead of yell. She..." Stefan stopped, unable to say the words.

"Broke up with you?" Damon supplied.

"Not exactly," Stefan replied, sitting on the stairs after clearing away the debris. "She sounded so angry and hurt. I don't know what I did, what we did, but it chased her off."

"Why don't you just go to Bonnie's?"

Stefan looked at him with wide eyes. "She doesn't want to see me."

"Fine," Damon said and turned around. "Then I'll go."

Stefan was in front of him. "She doesn't want to see you either."

"That never stopped me before," Damon muttered, not necessarily referring to Elena. However, he did turn around and walk to the drink cart in the parlor. "Whatever happened must have been pretty large for her to be angry at us both."

"I can't think of anything that would upset her like this."

Damon could, but he didn't want to say anything. If she was feeling overwhelmed with emotions because she was coming to terms with the fact that she felt something for Damon, he was willing to wait it out. He could be patient when he wanted to be. "For all you know, it could be some modern girl thing and she got all worked up for no reason. She'll come around."

Stefan stared at his brother. He had never tried to cheer him up before. "What's with you?"

Damon flashed him a dazzling yet eerie smile before downing his glass of scotch. "I too went out hunting."

That got Stefan's blood boiling again. "You said-"

"I know what I said," Damon interrupted. "But no one got hurt, everyone's still alive, and the girl was _very_ happy when I left. She was willing from the get-go; no compulsion necessary," he said merrily, tossing back another glass.

Stefan's fists clenched at his side and he winced from the movement. The wound had healed, but since it had been wood that pierced his flesh, he would need more blood before it could fully repair itself. "Fine," he ground out, turning towards the door.

"Leaving so soon?" Damon called after him, almost gloating. "Oh right, you can't function properly on your diet."

Stefan slammed the door behind him and headed for the woods.

Damon set the glass on the table firmly, almost breaking it. He thought over everything he had said to Elena, unable to find anything that would have pushed her to run away and shun them. She felt guilty for kissing him, for enjoying it, and lying to Stefan. Sure, that was going to put a strain on their relationship, but Elena was stronger than that. She wouldn't run and be angry. _No_, he thought, staring at nothing in particular. _Something else must have happened here_.

He left the parlor and headed upstairs, using his senses as he went. He could smell Elena, the only human scent that had been here recently. He could smell Stefan and sense some Power, but it didn't mean anything to him. Everything in the boarding house was normal, excluding the cracked door and broken banister. It didn't make any sense, but there was nothing; not a clue as to why Elena fled.

Damon returned to the parlor and instead of pouring another glass, he grabbed the bottle and moved to the couch.

* * *

Stefan dropped the lifeless animal to the ground. His head was pounding from the amount of blood he had consumed since entering the forest. Normally, he fed here and there while enjoying the woods, but tonight, he killed. The blood sang in his veins, a reminder of the weakness. He growled in frustration as he got to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Tonight, he hated himself more than he had in the past century and a half. Whatever he had done was bad enough to drive Elena to hate him and he couldn't even remember what it was.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the massive stone angel in front of him until he walked into it. He stepped back and blinked in surprise, looking around him. His feet had carried him to the graveyard. He scanned the headstones and began to navigate towards the Gilbert family plot. He remembered Bonnie telling him that she came to visit her parents when she was feeling down. It was a big risk, she _had_ warned him to leave her alone, but he needed to find out what he did.

He stopped moving at the sight of her. She stood in front of the twin headstones, head bowed, the sound of muffled sobs filled his ears. "How could he?" he heard her say, her voice strangled by sadness and anger. She sank to her knees, the tremble in her body was visible to him even from this distance. "He _lied_ to me. He still loves _her_. That was the only reason he saved me in the first place."

His body went rigid at her words. She didn't know... Was she talking about... _No_, he thought and shook himself. _I haven't told her and neither has Damon_. Unless... His eyes widened as he remembered the sight of the box on the edge of the bookcase. That wasn't where he kept it. He began to panic and cursing loudly in his head. She had seen Katherine's portrait. That had to be it. There was no other explanation for her explanation earlier.

"_How could he!_" Elena sobbed as she hunched forward, shoulders shaking as she cried.

Unable to stand it any longer, he approached her. He knelt next to her and moved to take her hand. She flinched and got to her feet faster than he had ever seen her move. He looked up at her frightened face and let his eyes drop to her throat. "Where's your necklace?" he asked.

"I took it off. I don't want anything that reminds me of you," she spat. The sadness in her eyes had evaporated, leaving her normally warm, generous eyes cold with hate.

"Elena-"

"I found the picture, Stefan."

"I was going to tell you."

"When?" she demanded. "I slept with you, told you that I loved you, and _this_ is how you treat me? You're pathetic."

His head hung in defeat as he rose to his feet. "Yes, I should have told you, but that's not why I'm with you. Elena, I know you're not her. You'll never be like her; you're twice the woman she ever was."

Something unreadable passed in her eyes, making Stefan nervous. She was different, not the Elena he knew. This woman in front of him was cold and detached. It hurt him, knowing he was the one that made her this way. "You put my life and the life of my friends and family on the line because of what she did to you and your brother."

He stared at her, feeling ashamed. She was never going to forgive him. "What can I do to fix this? Tell me and I'll do it. I don't care what it is." He needed to grovel, beg, anything to get her to see that he meant it.

"Leave."

"What?"

"Leave Mystic Falls and don't come back. I don't want to talk to you or see you ever again. I don't even want to hear your name. I hate you."

"Elena-" his voice broke, his emotions getting the best of him.

"I loved you," she interrupted. "I really, truly loved you. But you refused to let me be happy."

Stefan could only blink at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I love Damon too."

If his heart had been beating, it would have stopped right then and there. Instead, he went numb; unable to feel anything. "I don't... When did..."

"You didn't want to share back then, I'm not going to share you now."

It was then that he realized what was wrong, the reason that Elena was so cold. "Katherine?"

In an instant, she was behind him. She had one arm around his waist, the other in his hair, yanking it back to expose his throat. "Hello Stefan."

"But you- I saw- You're dead."

She rolled her eyes, now tinged red with blood lust, her fangs half extended. "We've been over this, vampires _are_ dead."

He felt sick. "What have you done with Elena?" he shouted, earning another tug on his hair.

"What do you care?"

"I love-"

She hissed, craning his neck back to an impossible angle. Had he been human, his neck would have snapped already. "_I_ love you!" she snapped, easing up on her hold. Her eyes softened and her fangs retracted. "I still love you. I've been waiting for you, Stefan. I want to be with you forever, just like I promised. I tracked you down and saw you with _her_. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?" she asked, shoving him away from her. The force sent him flying into a statue, cracking the stone on impact.

"Actually, I _do_ have an idea. Thanks to you," he snarled at her, forcing himself into a defensive crouch.

She gave a bored stare, reminding him of Damon. It made his fangs rush out to indent his bottom lip. "Maybe I should make myself clear. I want you, I made you; therefore you are mine. And mine alone."

"I'm not-"

Before he could say anything else, he felt the blood coming up his throat and spilling out of his mouth. He looked down to see a rather large stake lodged into his abdomen; Katherine's dainty hand wrapped around the end. "I'm sorry, were you about to challenge me?"

His response was to choke on more of his blood.

Her brown eyes were hard and intent as she stared at him. Suddenly, a smirk formed on her lips and she tipped her head to the side. "You're mine, Stefan. _Mine_."

Katherine removed the stake and watched as Stefan fell to the ground with a thud. She knew he was unconscious before his head hit the grass. That was fine with her. She raised the stake to her lips and her tongue darted out to sample his blood. Her face contorted with disgust at the taste of animal blood. She dropped the piece of wood to her feet and crouched down to touch his shoulder. Her time was running out, if she wanted to keep him alive, she needed to move.

With that, she reached out and gathered him into her arms and took off into the night.

Finally, the last stages of her latest game had been set in motion.


	14. Chapter 14

**a/n: my apologies if Elena sounds a little OOC**

FOURTEEN

Sunday had come and gone. Elena remained at Bonnie's, mostly staying in the bedroom to avoid any adults that would ask what was wrong. When Monday came, Elena found herself wondering if the brothers were alright. She had told them to stay away, but she hadn't exactly expected them to obey her wishes. Especially Damon. She had expected to see him at Bonnie's window the moment she hung up on Stefan. But he had stayed away. They had left her alone just like she had asked them to do.

As she entered the first class she shared with Stefan, she became tense, unsure of how she was going to react when she saw him. She shouldn't have come to school in the first place. However, she never got to find out because his seat remained empty. At lunch, she called his phone three times, getting voicemail right away each time.

Bonnie wanted to say something to her about it, that they didn't deserve her in their lives, but kept it to herself. This had nothing to do with her in any way. She was going to be supportive of Elena no matter what her decision was; no matter how much she hated it. "Are you staying another night?" Bonnie asked as Elena finally returned to the table, failing to reach Stefan.

She pushed her lunch tray away from her and rested her head in her hand. "No, I think I'm going to go home," she said, even though it was a lie. Saturday, she had decided what she was going to do, but Bonnie would talk her out of it. "I'll drop you off though," she added.

"You better, seeing as how you're the one who drove me here," Bonnie said, smiling lightly. Elena nodded, but couldn't manage a smile.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Before she knew it, she was in front of Bonnie's house, waiting for her friend to gather her things. She watched until Bonnie was safely inside and then began to drive towards the boarding house. Elena knew that there was no going back, but it needed to be done; or so she kept telling herself. Pushing away all of her thoughts, she continued to drive, focusing on nothing but the road in front of her.

* * *

Damon sat in his bed, lounging up against the headboard. The windows were open to let in the natural light, but the day was cloudy, the scent of a storm was strong in the air. There was a book in his hands although he had been staring at the same page for a number of hours now and had yet to read a single word. His head jerked up at the sound of the front door. He remembered the last time he had been in this situation and reached out with his senses. Sure enough, he detected a heartbeat, like music to his ears, and the distinct scent that was Elena Gilbert. His eyes widened in curiosity and surprise that she was here.

A smile crossed his lips as he heard her help herself to a glass of his liquor. Then another, and another. Obviously, she was here on a mission; one that required some liquid courage. His brow furrowed at that. Stefan wasn't here. In fact, he hadn't been since Saturday afternoon. He shrugged that thought away as her footsteps sounded on the stairs. Her heart was beating in a way that told him she was nervous. It was unsettling; Elena was many things, but nervous was not one of them.

Her footsteps stopped outside his door, causing him to go perfectly still. She turned the handle and pushed the door open. Her eyes went to his instantly before she came in, shutting the door behind her. He got to his feet then. "Stefan's not here," he informed her, having an awful flashback to the last time "Elena" had been here. He had trouble believing that this was real. Yet, the beat of her heart echoed through his head and told him otherwise.

"I'm not here for Stefan, I'm here for you."

She moved across the floor like a hunter stalking it's prey. She stopped in front of him, looking up to meet his eyes. "Look, whatever happened between the two of you, I promise I-"

She cut him off by grabbing the front of his shirt. "No. Talking." Each word was said with force. Damon was not the type of man that needed to be told twice. He reached out to bring her closer to him, leaning down slightly to claim her lips.

To his surprise, she kissed him back without any hesitation. Her grip on his shirt tightened, drawing him closer with desire. He could smell her arousal and feel the desire as it made her blood pump furiously through her veins. Her frenzied kisses were almost enough to make him lose it right then and there, but he put the pent up energy into deepening the kiss even more.

His hands went to the hem of her shirt, pulling it upwards as slowly as he could, letting his fingers graze her skin as he went. She shivered, breaking the kiss and letting go of him just enough she he could remove the shirt from her completely. When her hands fell back to his chest, she began undoing the buttons. As she got to the bottom, her palms rested on his stomach before gliding upwards. His muscles quivered under her touch giving her a rush of excitement. As her hands hit his shoulders, she pushed it backwards and watched the shirt fall to the ground behind him.

Damon's hands went to the front of her jeans and used his expert skill to open them in the time it took her to blink. He left her lips abruptly, kissing his way down her neck, her chest, the valley between her breasts, and then down her abdomen. She moaned as she watched him sink to his knees before her. Every time his lips touched her skin, her body sang. It was on fire, ready to burst at any given moment. Her head tipped back, her fingers diving into his hair. He began to remove her jeans, kissing the top of her panties until she stepped out of them. Before getting to his feet, he moved his hand to her core. He wasn't touching her, but the sight of his hand so close to her made her moan again, loudly this time.

In a fraction of a second, Elena was on her back beneath him. The rest of their clothes were on the floor and Damon was on top of her. They were lying with their feet near the headboard, Elena's hair fanning out beneath her, spilling over the foot of the bed. He kissed her passionately before working his way down her body for the second time. This time, he stopped at her breasts. While his mouth tortured one hardened nipple, he used his hand on the other, going and back and forth between the two until she arched her back, needing more.

He moved down her body, nipping at her skin a few times as he went. Instead of letting her cradle his face with her thighs, he lifted her legs and hooked them over his shoulders. Damon looked up at her, drawing her eyes to him. She propped herself up on her elbows to watch as he leaned in and touched her clit with his tongue. She moaned and shut her eyes at the feeling, her thighs clenching. He found himself groaning at the discovery of how wet she was. He hadn't expected her to be at this stage of arousal yet.

As his tongue continued to please her, he inserted his finger. She convulsed around him, another moan escaping her lips. Elena's breathing was ragged and uneven. The combination of his tongue and fingers were pushing her to the brink faster than she thought was possible. Her head fell backwards as she bit her bottom lip, trying not to make too many vocalizations. As she came closer, her mouth fell open and her eyes squeezed shut. "Damon..." she hissed, feeling the beginnings of her orgasm.

He grinned against her, thrusting not one, but two fingers deep inside of her the moment he pulled his face away. It would have caused her to cry out again, this time with release, but the removal of his tongue stopped it. She gave a cry of anger, one that didn't last long. Before she could blink, his thumb touched the little bundle of nerves and his fangs sank into the softness of her thigh.

She cried out, riding the most intense release she had ever experienced. She remembered the last time she had been with Stefan, when she had thought of how it would feel to have him bite her. She never, in her wildest dreams, imagined that it could feel like this. He continued to please her until she came down from her high, looking down her body to see him staring up at her. There was blood on his chin and on his lips which he licked away while she watched.

He sat back on his knees and she mimicked the movement. Her arms went around his neck, bringing his body flush against hers, kneeling in the middle of the bed. He put his hands on her hips and began to pull her forwards with the intention of landing on his back beneath her, but she pulled away from him. To Damon's utter astonishment, Elena turned to press her back against his chest and then bent forward. It held him immobile for a moment or two, watching as she rested on her forearms with her backside right in front of him for the taking.

Needing no further encouragement, he moved into position. He had one hand on her waist, the other on the small of her back, and pushed his way into her core. He waited for her to adjust to him before pulling out and burying himself again. She moaned loudly, shuddering at the feel of his hardness deep within her body. He thrust against her roughly, enjoying the sounds that were coming from her. She made no indication the he was hurting her, giving him the need to press on. He felt her walls contract around him, convulsing more and more as he drove into her. Her breath quickened, signaling another release, but he was determined to keep her grounded until he was ready to join her.

Cutting her off from another release, he used his agility to switch their positions. This time, Damon lay with his head on the pillows, Elena straddling his waist between her thighs. By the time he had settled, he was already inside of her. Her hands dug into his chest as she rode him, grinding her hips at a furious pace. He reveled in the fact that she met him thrust for thrust. He knew she had fiery passion inside of her, but he never thought she would release it for _him._ The sight of her arched back above him, head slightly tipped backwards, breasts bouncing slightly, was more than he could stand.

He surged forward, wrapping his arms around her until their fronts were glued together from their sweat. She circled his neck, cupping the back of his head as she leaned down to kiss him. It was a short kiss, broken by Damon's need for release. His lips trailed from hers to the curve of her neck. Her heart rate increased in excitement and anticipation, knowing what was to come.

"Say it," he growled, moving his lips to her ear.

"Damon!" she hissed, unable to form any other words.

"Say it!" he repeated.

He pulled out of her, waiting for her to tell him what he wanted to hear before giving them both the release that they sought. She groaned in frustration and took a deep breath. "Bite me!" she cried out.

In one swift motion, he buried himself to the hilt inside of her and let his fangs pierce her skin. She shuddered, digging her nails into his shoulders to keep him in place as she came. She felt his release spill into her right before she experienced the sensation that she was floating. She felt her lips move, but anything that came out was lost to her ears.

Damon heard her; loud and clear.

Those three little words uttered in the heat of the moment made his release the most intense one to date. They echoed in his head as he rode out his high and long after he came down.

They collapsed in one heap of tangled limbs. Damon's weight was pleasant as he landed on top of her. They both panted for air, trying to completely return to reality. He stared at her, unsure if her words were true or not; either way, they affected him in a way he never imagined. Elena's eyes fluttered open as her breathing became steady, only to find Damon staring at her. The heat of his gaze made her blush and become self-conscious.

"What?" she asked in a breathy voice.

"Did you mean it?" he asked, almost afraid of her answer.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion and her head shook once automatically. She swallowed hard before she spoke, finding it awkward to say when they weren't doing anything. "Bite me?" she repeated.

Sadness, pain, and disappointment flooded his face. "No."

Like a slap to the face, the words she couldn't hear before came rushing back to her. They rang through her ears so loudly she winced. Elena had no explanation for why she had said that to him, she wasn't even sure if she felt anything towards him. Her body went rigid as she remembered why she came here in the first place. She shoved him off of her and got to her feet. "No," she said, getting dressed as fast as she could. "I don't love you or Stefan."

He sat up at the sound of her voice breaking. "But you said-"

She whirled around and slapped him, putting all of her weight behind it. She knew it wouldn't hurt, but she took satisfaction at the fact that his head snapped to the side. "You're the one who has been lying to _me._ You and Stefan don't deserve any feelings that I may have for either of you."

He rubbed his jaw, turning slowly as he watched her shake with anger. Damon was completely confused now. "Then why did you sleep with me?"

Tears streamed down her face and her hands clenched down at her sides. "You and your brother stuck around to turn me into Katherine. I look like her so the two of you decided that you could make me like her in every way. Congratulations, you both got what you wanted."

Dressed, she turned and ran from the room, leaving Damon completely dumbstruck.

He came out of his daze at the sound of the front door being nearly torn from it's hinges as Elena flung it open. Using his superhuman speed, he pulled on his jeans and rushed down to block her way. He stood in the threshold, letting her beat his chest with her fists. "What are you talking about Elena?" he asked.

She struck him one last time before her body wouldn't respond anymore. Her legs gave out, but Damon caught her before she fell to a heap on the floor. "I found her picture in Stefan's room."

Everything made sense to him then. That was why she had shunned the two of them; she found out about her doppelganger. His eyes closed in shame for the first time in many years as she sobbed against his chest. Her fingers clutched at his chest, digging in to his exposed skin as his arms tightened around her. He cupped the back of her head and pressed it to him, wanting to change everything. He wanted nothing more than to start over and tell her the truth from the beginning.

But he couldn't. It was too late.


	15. Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

Stefan came back to the waking world rather slowly. The room before him spun in a way that even his superior eyesight did him no good. Once the spinning stopped, it was as if his consciousness had snapped into place, leaving him feeling sick. His body _hurt._ After a hundred and fifty years of healing right away, the pain he experienced hurt more than anything. He tried to move his hands only to encounter some resistance. Cautiously, his head lifted to see that his arms were stretched above his head, bound to the ceiling by rope. His feet were bound to the floor with more rope. His body was hanging in an awkward arch from the positions of the rope in both places.

Another wave of nausea rolled through him as his body moved in attempt to break free. The rope tightened and bit into his wrists, causing him to groan in pain, unable to scream. A familiar sensation slowly circulated through his system and he shuddered. The ropes were laced with vervain. The more he struggled, the more would get into his system. He felt the blood trickle down his forearms. It made him terrified as he realized how dangerously low on blood that he was.

Quite frankly, he was surprised he was still alive; so-to-speak.

As he searched through the fog in his mind as to how he had come to be in this position, he heard a door open. It was an old wooden door, one that creaked on its hinges. Gentle footsteps tread on concrete as they came closer to him. They stopped as he saw feet protruding from the shadows just a few feet in front of him. He inhaled deeply and felt a tear slide down his face at the familiar scent.

"Elena," he rasped, choking at the overuse of his voice.

The woman in the shadows stepped out with a look of disgust. "Who?"

Stefan stared at her, confused by her actions. Why wasn't she running to untie him? Instead, she just stood there, staring at him with emotionless eyes. "Elena," he managed to get out again, grimacing at the pain that exploded through his throat and chest.

Finally, she seemed to recognize the severity of the situation. Tears shone in her eyes, making them look like twin pools of glass. She moved towards him with grace and his un-beating heart soared with love. She was going to free him, he was certain of it. Her hands rested on his chest and she looked up at him.

She blinked and the tears were gone, her eyes hard and filled with hate. Her fingers dug into the already marred skin of his chest. A strangled groan tumbled out of him as she dragged her hands down, tearing a chuck of flesh from him. "Let's get one thing straight, Stefan. I am not Elena," the woman in front of him said.

As her nails retracted from his skin he went slack with relief. Katherine. That was the woman's name. His eyes closed as the events of the graveyard came flooding back to him. How many days had passed since then were unknown to him. "Elena!" he screamed, not caring that talking hurt him. His fangs came out and he hissed at her, struggling against his restraints.

Katherine stepped back and smirked at him. "I haven't done anything to my duplicate yet," she assured him. Her smirk disappeared as a look of concern took it's place. "You should really stop struggling, you're close enough to your final death as it is. I healed you enough, but I can't let you heal completely. Not until _they_ get here."

Stefan struggled one last time. He had no doubt in his mind who _they_ were and he wanted to hurt the woman in front of him. If anyone came after him, Katherine would see to it that no one would get out of here. He hissed again and felt his fangs recede back into his gums, his body going slack in defeat. She had won; for now at least.

She smirked in triumph, reaching out to touch his abdomen gently. Her fingers brushed over the raw wound that marked the place where she had staked him. She tilted her head up to look at him and her face softened. "I don't want to hurt you, but this is your punishment. You should have never tried to replace me."

She turned and headed towards the way she had entered the room. She stopped and looked back at him. "When I get rid of Damon and Elena, we can go about living the rest of eternity together, just as I promised." She paused to deliver a deadly smile. "And you won't even remember them."

Stefan's head hung forward in defeat as she left.

* * *

Damon had moved Elena to the parlor so she would be more comfortable. Her body and heart still ached, but she was no longer angry. She was too tired and worn out to feel anything. Once she had cried until she couldn't cry anymore, Damon carried her to the couch and began to tell her the full story. He didn't leave anything out; no emotion was spared. He even tried to be as unbiased as possible because Stefan wasn't here to fill in his side of the story. Elena felt every emotion that he expressed, but by the end of the story, she was numb. Katherine had met her final death in a fire because she had been injected with vervain. Damon and Stefan had been fatally wounded trying to rescue her, but because of her blood in their veins, they came back.

Elena shifted on the couch, trying to get comfortable now that Damon was done talking. "Why didn't you tell me I looked like her?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

He looked at her from across the couch. "I told you, Stefan was the one you were dating, he should have been the one to tell you about her."

"So while you were playing your games you got to keep your mouth shut?"

She had him there. His eyes softened with regret as he looked at her. "Look, Elena, Stefan didn't go after you because he wanted to use you as a replacement. My brother does love you more than he ever loved Katherine."

"How do you know?"

"Because," he said stubbornly, searching for the right way to say this. "Katherine compelled him more than he knows. He didn't even know she had given him any blood until he woke up in Transition."

"Oh."

"Stefan followed the rules. He was the golden boy. Everything came easy to him and it still does. He was the youngest son, but Father treated him as if he were first born. To him, Katherine was everything he wasn't; a taste of liberation. He's been torturing himself with regret by drinking animal blood because he gave in to her. Katherine liked to corrupt things."

Elena's head lifted away from the couch cushions to look at him. Something about the way he said the last line didn't sit well with her. "How did you feel about her?"

"She was like me; dangerous, didn't follow the rules, lived for the pleasures in life. I didn't want eternity if she wasn't in it, but that didn't work out."

"Why did you come after me?"

He took a deep breath before telling her. "To get back at Stefan. I wanted to punish him for taking what was mine. I met her first, but what the golden boy wants, the golden boy gets." He paused to get his anger in control. "The fact that you looked like her was just an added bonus. I knew very well that you weren't Katherine; that was apparent seconds after getting to know you. Stefan loved you the way I loved Katherine and I wanted to tear you away from him just as he had taken her from me." He stopped to wet his lips, his eyes begging for forgiveness. "I regret it more than you'll ever know."

"Because you got caught," she ground out, returning her cheek to the couch. She winced as her shoulder brushed against the bite mark on her neck.

"Why did you come here today?" he asked her.

She pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I told you already."

In an instant, he was kneeling before her. He turned her to face him, his body nudged between her legs as he gathered her hands in his. "Elena, I'm telling you right now, you're nothing like her. Katherine was selfish; everything that was bad in this world gave her pleasure. You, on the other hand, are self_less_. You embody everything good in this world and neither Stefan nor I deserve you."

A tear slid down her cheek, unable to believe him about their differences. "You both should have told me," she whispered.

Not wanting to see her cry anymore, he changed the subject. "That night was the last time I got inside of your dreams. Yet, you kept having them. I need to know exactly what it was that you saw. What was the constant when you snapped back to reality?" He squeezed her hands lightly.

His last sentence sparked a memory. The scene in her bedroom the night Damon had come to apologize, she had woken from a dream about him. There was an owl outside her window. It had stared at her with familiar eyes. _Her_ eyes. "Katherine!" she cried out.

Damon got to his feet to get away from her outburst. "What are you talking about?"

She rose as well, getting a rush of energy. "Can vampires take the form of something else?"

"Depends on how much Power they have."

"Can you?"

He nodded slowly. "A crow."

"You said you stopped after I woke up to your kiss, but I kept having these vivid dreams about you," she said, the words rushing out of her mouth at an alarming rate. She told him about the incident before he showed up to apologize, the shower, and every incident after that. "Every single time I came back to reality, there was this snowy white owl outside my window. Before you apologized, it was staring at me and I recognized the eyes. They were my eyes." She stopped to breathe, wondering why he wasn't connecting the dots as she had.

He remembered the time he came home to Stefan and Elena making love upstairs. He had noticed the owl leaving from outside Stefan's window before he headed to the bar. His body went rigid as he thought of his dream involving Elena who turned out to be Katherine. The owl had been outside his window then. "But-" he started, raking a hand through his hair.

"It was Katherine. She's the one who's been messing with my head; making me see things that aren't there. She made me think I was crazy for seeing you when it should have been Stefan."

Damon stared at her, shaking his head. "Katherine is dead. I watched the house burn."

"I'm telling you, she's here," Elena insisted. "Damon, who else could it be?"

"Elena-"

"Where's Stefan?" she asked abruptly, having noticed for the first time that he hadn't come home yet. It was well after dark and though he hadn't been at school, he should have come back by now.

Her accusation of his former lover being back in town was sounding less absurd as he thought about the last time he had seen Stefan. "Saturday."

"What about Saturday?" she asked, her heart beginning to beat faster as she became anxious.

"You found the picture and ran to Bonnie's. You called Stefan and when I came home, he attacked me. We fought, he told me you were angry at the both of us. I threw him into the stairs. Some wood pierced his shoulder, but he was fine. He went out for another hunt and-" he stopped short and cursed himself. Damon should have noticed his brother's disappearance much, much sooner than this.

"And what?" Elena demanded to know, shaking with fear and anxiety about Stefan.

"I haven't seen him since," he said quietly, catching her as her knees gave out.

"Oh God!" she sobbed, clutching his shirt. They held each other as they had earlier when she tried to run away. "If she's back... What if she... Stefan could be..."

"Sh," he whispered, stroking her hair softly. There was no doubt in his mind anymore. Katherine had come back to Mystic Falls. All this time she had been alive and he had been kept in the dark about it. She had abandoned him making him wonder if she had ever loved him the first place. Elena cried out from the tightness of his hold, jerking him back to the reality. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"We have to find him," she breathed, still trembling in his arms.

"We will," he assured her, although he wasn't sure if it was a promise he could keep.

Elena rubbed her cheek against his chest, trying to get even closer to him. Here he was, comforting his brother's girlfriend, agreeing to find him, even if that meant he had to go against his former love; having only just found out she was alive. "How?" she whispered.

"Bonnie."

She jerked back, getting a head rush as she did. "Bonnie?"

"She is a witch, correct? She and her grandmother can help us track him down."

"What makes you think they'll help? They're not very fond of you."

"No, but they are of you."

Elena nodded and pulled away from him. "Let's go," she demanded, tugging his arm for him to follow her.


	16. Chapter 16

SIXTEEN

Bonnie heard the small taps on her window. She craned her neck to see what was going on and jumped as a rock bounced off the exterior pane. She made her way to the window and opened it. Elena and Damon were standing on the ground, staring up at her. Damon had a hand full of rocks that he had been prepared to use until she heard them. "You know you're allowed to come in right?" Bonnie called down to them. "Besides, it's only ten-thirty."

With that, she walked away from her window and headed downstairs to let them in. She hesitated before inviting Damon inside, but figured that they wouldn't be here unless it was important. "Bonnie, we need your help. We need your grandmother to help us too," Elena said the moment the door closed.

Elena watched as her friend went still for a moment. "What's going on?"

"Can you get dressed? We can explain on the way," Damon stated.

The witch turned to glare at him. Slowly, she turned to Elena. "I thought you were mad at the Salvatores."

"Bonnie, this is more important than that," Elena snapped. She grabbed Bonnie's shoulders and shook her once. "Bottom line is, Katherine's back and she has Stefan. We _have_ to find him and we can't do that unless you and your grandmother help us."

As much as she wanted nothing more than to let Stefan rot for the pain he had caused Elena, Bonnie got the urgency in her friend's voice and nodded. "Let me get changed really fast and we'll head over to Grams. I'll call her to let her know we're coming."

"Thank you," Elena said as Bonnie left them alone in her living room. She looked at Damon whose face was riddled with amusement. "What could you possibly find funny about this situation?"

"You told Bonnie when you found Katherine's portrait, correct?"

"Of course. It's what best friends do, they don't keep secrets from each other."

He nodded. "Exactly. I find it funny that she hasn't hexed me yet."

Elena shook her head and sighed. "It's coming, don't worry."

At that, Bonnie rejoined them. "Alright, Grams is getting ready for us. I thought you said Katherine was dead," she said flatly as they headed to Damon's car.

"Apparently not," Damon returned and felt his jaw harden.

On the way to visit the other Bennett witch, Elena filled Bonnie in on everything that had happened. She left out the fact that she had slept with Damon; no one needed to know that just yet. "Katherine's the one that's been giving me these vivid hallucinations," she concluded.

Bonnie nodded, letting everything settle in. "I don't understand why she would take Stefan. It doesn't make any sense."

"To draw us out," Damon answered.

Bonnie's head shook rapidly. "If Katherine wanted to do something, she would have struck already. She got into Elena's head without ever having been invited into her home."

"Yes, but Katherine likes to play games. She's been biding her time, putting the pawns in their place. For whatever reason, she feels like she's in control and taking Stefan was the perfect way to put her plot into motion." Damon stared intently at the road in front of him. He hated the fact that Elena had realized Katherine was back before he did. He should have known from the start. She made him; her blood still flowed through his veins. There had to have been an obvious sign that he missed.

Bonnie frowned, looking to the rearview mirror to look at Damon. "Still, why go through all that trouble?"

Elena turned in her seat to look at both of them. "Because Katherine's a selfish bitch, that's why."

Damon found himself smirking at that. Just when he thought he couldn't love her anymore... His smirk disappeared instantly. Just because she had said those words and come to him willingly meant absolutely nothing. At the end of the day, she still wanted Stefan and a part of him knew that nothing would change that. The other part of him was too afraid to hope that it would be different.

"Damon?" came both female voices. Their tone made it obvious that it hadn't been the first time they'd called out for him. "You missed Grams' house," Bonnie said when she realized he was finally listening. She was right; he had been so lost in thought that he had completely ignored the elder witch's house. He made a sharp U-turn, causing both girls to look at him with wide eyes, and continued driving until he pulled up to Sheila Bennett's house.

Sheila was already waiting at the door. Elena and Bonnie went inside with ease, turning around to watch the staring contest between vampire and witch. "Damon," she greeted although it was somewhat cold.

"Sheila," he returned, giving her that signature smirk. "It's been quite a long time since I saw you last. You were just coming into your powers then."

"And I remember every single person you killed before I was strong enough to stop you."

His eyes flickered to Elena who in turn looked down at the ground. "Miss Bennett, I know Damon's not the perfect person-"

"He's the living dead who preys upon innocent humans," she interrupted, turning to look at the other girl.

Elena straightened. "I know that, but we're not here for Damon. We're here because Stefan is missing and there's a vampire worse than Damon lurking around Mystic Falls. We need his help to get rid of her. If you let him in, I promise you on my life and my parent's grave, that Damon will never harm you or any of your bloodline." Her eyes held the older woman's squarely.

"You would trust Damon with your life?" she asked, unable to contain the surprise in her voice.

"Yes," she replied. "He may be an arrogant, cocky bastard, but he's always been there when I needed him." Her voice was barely above a whisper and her eyes dared to look at him before dropping to the floor.

While he couldn't help but admire her strength for sticking up for him, he hated the fact that Bonnie and Sheila now knew his weakness: Elena. "Grams?" Bonnie asked.

The older woman turned towards Damon and nodded once. "Your humanity must be returning if you can get a girl like Elena Gilbert to vouch for you. Come in."

He gave her a wolfish grin as he passed her on his way inside. "I highly doubt that," he said and followed the two teenagers to the living room. Sheila went to retrieve her spell book and other materials needed to set up a locating spell.

Bonnie sat next to Elena on the love seat while Damon remained standing on the opposite side of them. The dark skinned girl turned to her friend and before she could speak, she noticed the bite mark on her neck. Immediately, her hand rose to expose Elena's throat by moving the hair back. Elena pulled away in fear and jumped to her feet, combing her hair in front of her shoulders. Bonnie stood up and looked angrily at Damon. "What the hell did you do to her?" she demanded to know.

"Isn't it obvious?" Damon returned with his arrogant charm.

Elena looked at him with her brown eyes pleading for him to keep his mouth shut. She had forgotten about the mark on her neck, the one on her thigh was hurting due to the rough material of her jeans. "Just ignore it Bonnie," she said quietly.

"He _bit_ you!"

"I know that!" Elena snapped, glaring at her friend.

Bonnie's eyes widened in astonishment and horror. "You let him?" she asked in a quieter tone.

"Bonnie, please," Elena breathed, closing her eyes before sinking back down to the love seat.

Damon hated the guilt and regret he could feel radiating off of Elena. "She did it as an offering. To take on Katherine I need all the strength I can get."

Bonnie looked at him, eyes full of disbelief, but sat next to her friend again. "I'm sorry," she whispered, taking Elena's hands in hers. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, but..." she didn't know how to finish the sentence.

"It's fine," Elena said tightly, eyes glued to the floor.

At that, Sheila came back into the room. "Do any of you have something that belongs to Stefan?" she asked, setting her things on the coffee table.

Elena looked up with wide eyes at Damon. "No," she whispered. In the frenzy of leaving to Bonnie's, they hadn't even paused to think of bringing something that would help them. They knew they were coming here to do a locating spell, but it still hadn't occurred to either of them.

"What about something of Katherine's?" Bonnie asked cautiously, looking at Damon.

Damon mulled it over for awhile and turned his gaze to Elena. "I don't, but Elena does."

Elena stood up straight and squared her shoulders as she stared at him. "Why would I have anything belonging to Katherine? I just found out about our resemblance. Beyond that, I don't know anything about her."

Damon shook his head once. "Even if you didn't know about vampires or any of this, you would, and always will, have something that belongs to her." The room fell eerily silent as Elena tried to think about his words. "Her blood."

"I don't-" she started and shook her head in confusion.

"Grams, don't we need some blue candles?" Bonnie asked, tugging her grandmother's arm lightly as the two of them left the room.

"I don't understand," Elena said when she and Damon were alone.

"Elena, your resemblance to Katherine can only mean one thing. You're a descendant of hers; you share the same bloodline."

She shook her head again. "Katherine's last name was Pierce, not Gilbert."

He gave a brief nod. "_If_ that was her real last name. Elena, you know I'm telling the truth. There's no way that you're a Gilbert. Not when you're clearly a descendent of Katherine."

Her lip curled in distaste at that. "You don't have to remind me."

Damon took a deep breath to keep from lashing out at her. He knew that she couldn't deny what was right in front of her, but at the same time, they didn't need to argue about it. Not now. "I can taste the resemblance."

Her lips parted as she stood up from the love seat. "What?" she asked in a husky voice.

He took a few steps towards her, stopping when he saw her cringe. "When I had Katherine's blood, it was vampire and yours was human, but there was a similarity to both."

She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "This is absurd," she hissed, turning her back to him.

"We can talk about it later, but if we use your blood, we can find where Katherine is; where Stefan is."

Elena turned, jumping at the fact that he was so close her elbow brushed the front of his shirt. "Why tell me this now?"

He stared down at her; there was no answer. He reached out to gently brush her hair from her neck tipping her head to the side by gingerly touching her jaw. "You can yell at Stefan and me all you want after we find him and get rid of Katherine. You have questions and we will try our best to answer them. Right now, your blood is the only thing that can lead us to them."

Her eyelids fluttered, trying to keep her need to cry in check. His proximity to her caused those three words to echo in her mind again. "Okay," she breathed, knowing it was the right thing. No matter what Stefan had lied to her about, she knew she would sell her soul to get him back. Deep inside, she knew she would do the same for Damon.

"Then I will give you some of my blood to heal the marks," he said quietly, leaning in until their foreheads were touching.

As much as she didn't want to worry about turning when facing Katherine, she didn't want to die either. "Can you kill her?"

"She abandoned me. She hurt you. I will kill her a thousand times over if I have to."

Her eyes closed as his lips descended onto hers. If it had been any other day, she would have pushed him away and fought like hell, but today, her emotions were all over the place. Damon was in front of her, telling her how he felt for her without actually saying the words. Those three words had changed everything. Two days ago, Elena was happily in love with Stefan.

Now, she was in love with both of them.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" came Bonnie's voice as she came back into the room.

Damon stepped away from Elena; both of them hung their heads in shame at being caught. "Nothing," Damon said, retreating to the other side of the room where he had originally been standing.

Sheila laid her hand on Bonnie's arm as she entered the room and shook her head, indicating that her granddaughter should stay out of it. "Elena, are we using your blood for the spell?" Sheila asked, walking to the coffee table to set things up.

"Yes," she answered, trying to keep her voice sounding normal.

Sheila then approached her with a small, ceramic tumbler and a knife. "I'll take what I need and then I'm going to ask that the two of you leave the room. It will throw off our concentration if you stay."

"Okay." Elena held out her hand, palm up, and took a deep breath.

Sheila held onto Elena's wrist and put the blade in her palm. "Breathe, in and out, nice and slow," she demanded softly. Elena followed her orders and immediately shut her eyes as the blade bit down into her skin. Damon averted his eyes as Elena's blood began to spill into the tumbler. He admired her strength; not once did she cry out or wince. Sheila stopped and put a towel into Elena's hand. "We will call you when it's done," she informed the young girl.

Damon took the hint and grabbed Elena's shoulders, leading her up the stairs in the back of the house to one the top floor guest bathroom. Before she could stop him, Damon lifted Elena up and set her down on the counter. He took the towel from her and wiped away the excess blood before tossing it into the sink. "So that would mean I'm adopted."

He cupped her jaw. "We're not talking about this now."

"I'm just thinking out loud," she mumbled, slumping to rest her back against the mirror. She inhaled sharply as he touched the cut on her palm.

The scent of her blood was strong, reminding him that he hadn't had a decent meal in far too long. Whatever he had taken from her earlier wasn't going to cut it if they were going to face Katherine soon. "You are so much stronger than I ever gave you credit for," he said as he wedged himself between her knees.

"Then call me a sadist because I don't mind the pain." Even though he could tell her words were meant as a joke, there was no humor in her voice.

He smirked and shook his head. "You don't like pain caused to others. That makes you a masochist."

She swallowed, feeling the lump in her throat, and sat up straight. From her position on the counter, she was able to look down into Damon's eyes. "If we're going to do an exchange, can we just do it?"

"You don't have to come with me. I can find them and save Stefan all by myself."

Her uninjured hand rested on his shoulder as she shook her head. "I'm not letting you go by yourself. Katherine is older than you and..." Elena stopped short. She wanted to say that she didn't think he could go through with it since it had only been an hour or so that he found out she had been alive all this time. She took a deep breath and wet her lips. "I'm not losing both of you."

He gave a short laugh. "A few hours ago, you hated both of us. Now, you want us to be safe."

"When everyone is home and healthy, I will go back to being livid with you and your brother. For now, arguing is useless." She cleared her throat and shifted her weight. "Now, will you get it over with please?"

"One condition."

"Damon-" she ground out in frustration.

"When we get to Katherine, I'm going to play along with whatever game she's playing. Everything you hear involving her is a lie. I want the three of us coming out of there in one piece while Katherine rots in hell. I want that bitch to pay for abandoning me."

Elena moved her hand from his shoulder to his hair, sinking her fingers into his soft tresses. "I trust you," she breathed.

Without saying another word, Damon stretched the couple inches that he needed and placed a gentle round of kisses onto the unmarked side of her throat. Elena's head fell back, eyes closing as she tried to fight off the arousal. Her body trembled with pleasure at the feel of his fangs scraping her skin just seconds before he bit down. A muffled cry escaped her lips, one devoid of pain. Her head began to swim as her body felt light and airy, almost as if she were floating. If Damon pressed any closer to the counter, he would go right through it. The taste of her blood was intoxicating and truly delicious. Knowing that Elena hadn't shared this experience with Stefan and probably never would only made him yearn for her more than he thought was possible.

When her breathing slowed from the blood loss, he pulled away and bit into his own wrist. He raised it up and she cradled it to her, her lips closing over his flesh. As she began to drink, Damon's eyes shut, reveling in the pleasure of sharing blood. When she pushed his wrist away, his eyes opened as he watched her hand go to her neck. Her fingers brushed over the unmarred flesh as her eyes locked with Damon's.

"Did you take enough?" she asked, slurring her words a little.

He nodded and reached up to cup her face. As he sought out her lips, he heard Sheila calling for them. He drew back and helped Elena off the counter. "They're ready for us."


	17. Chapter 17

**a/n: so I totally forgot to give a big thank you to Zoraya Windwalker for beta-ing Caught in the Middle (new oneshot). So thank you :) (and of course for this one too :)**

**The house that they go to is the one Pearl and all the other tomb vampires stayed in, but I took some liberties with the floorplan and made the basement much, much bigger :) **

SEVENTEEN

Elena's blood had been very successful in helping the witches find Katherine's location. The spell had taken a very short time, meaning their connection was stronger than Damon had originally thought. The two of them sat in the car, driving as fast as they could to reach their destination. Bonnie and Sheila had both stayed at the house. Damon already didn't like the fact that Elena was coming with them, but he knew she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"What if-"

"No," he interrupted.

"Damon-"

"No," he repeated with a bit more force. "We are not going to talk about the what-ifs. When we find Stefan, I need you to promise me that you're not going to fall apart. I can't deal with a girl in hysterics when I already know my brother is going to be in no position to support himself."

Elena sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, just stop thinking about it. I'll compel you if I have to."

She turned her head to look at him, but didn't say anything. Instead, the rest of the ride was filled with silence. The closer they got, the more her heart rate increased. The anticipation was killing her. Elena took a deep breath and rested her head against the cool pane of glass. "You don't think he's dead do you?"

Damon swore and tightened his grip on the wheel. "Elena, what did I just say?"

"I heard you, but I need to hear what you have to say."

He stared out the windshield for a few seconds before he dared to glance at her. "I'm not going to lie to you and say everything is alright."

"I know."

"Katherine has had him since Saturday night. That's two full days. If he's not dead by now, he's probably so close that he wishes he was. As much as she may have wanted to though, I'm very certain that Katherine hasn't killed him. Yet. She doesn't do anything without the intention of showing off. She's a real sadist." He offered her a weary grin, one that disappeared the moment he saw the tears on her cheeks. "She knows we're coming for him, Elena. He's alive."

"Barely," she breathed, moving to rest her head on the back of the seat. Her hands wiped away the tears that insisted on falling down her cheeks.

"You asked," he reminded her, wincing at the callousness he heard in his voice.

"This was a very stupid idea," Elena said, realizing for the first time the both of them were unarmed. "We don't have any weapons. You're strong, but she's older than you and she has leverage," she pointed out.

He glanced sideways at her and shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say, but it's not like there's a vampire hunter supply store that we can go to." He was frustrated because she was right. He didn't have any vervain or wood, he had nothing that would help them get the upper hand.

"There should be," he heard her mumble and cast her a confused look.

"Are you making a joke?" he teased, one corner of his lips lifting into a smirk. Her lips curved into a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Look, it's not like the forest doesn't have wood we can use. I'm going to park some distance away from her location as it is. We'll get some things on the way. Will that make you feel better?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"It's the best I can do," he told her.

"Thanks." With that, she put her feet on the edge of the seat and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her head rested on her knees and she closed her eyes. She wanted this nightmare to be over with. Elena wanted Katherine truly dead, unable to come back and ruin her life ever again. "She's going to hear my heart beating before we can get remotely close to her."

"I didn't say anything about sneaking up on her."

"Then why are not just pull the car right up to the house or wherever she's staying?" she asked as Damon pulled off of the main road.

"She's expecting us to rescue him. Elena, we've been over this," he said, turning to look at her. "Any precautions we take in getting Stefan out without any resistance will be for nothing."

She sighed in frustration. "So we're running into a trap."

"You knew that from the beginning," he reminded her. Before she could say anything on the subject, he reached over and put his hand over her mouth. "Trust me, Elena. Whatever happens, you, Stefan, and I _will_ be coming home; alive." He grinned at her. "Well, you know what I mean."

He withdrew his hand and she wet her lips. She readjusted in her seat for the hundredth time during the drive and turned to face him. "If she kills me, I'll have enough of your blood in me to bring me back, right?"

Damon stared at the road in front of him. "As long as she doesn't drain you."

"Oh," she breathed and then swallowed hard. "Promise me something?"

"Maybe." From the tone of her voice, he knew he wasn't going to like this.

"If it does happen, will you teach me how to..." her voice trailed off as her throat closed off.

"Stop it!" he demanded. His voice was so loud it made her jump.

She shook her head and blinked a few times, sinking back into the seat as she tried to catch her breath. "I don't..." she started and swallowed thickly. "I don't know why I said that."

Damon pulled off to the side of the road, having reached their destination, and reached for her hands. "I promise, I will help you cope, but you need to focus on the bigger picture. If you go in there already prepared for the worst, Katherine will kill all three of us. I need you to stay positive. Concentrate on staying alive."

Elena nodded. "Should I go along with Katherine's games? If she has any for me, that is."

In the blink of an eye, he was at her car door, pulling her to her feet. "I have no doubt in my mind that you can be a great actress when it counts," he said and reached out to touch her chest. Her body straightened as it lay over her heart. "But, this organ can give you away. If you're going to lie, you'll have to do a damn good job to convince Katherine."

His hand moved to lift her necklace. Elena looked down at the round locket between his thumb and forefinger. "She's probably going to take this off of me."

He nodded once. "She might."

Her eyes rose up to meet his. He let the necklace fall to her skin once more and moved both of his hands to rest on either side of her throat, his fingers lightly touching the back of her head. At that exact moment he wanted to tell her how he felt. The only thing that stopped him from pouring his heart out to her was that he needed both of them to be thinking clearly. If she never knew his feelings, he could pretend that they didn't exist. But knowing that they might not survive this...

"Damon?" her voice was a breathy whisper, but it brought him back to reality and he stepped back.

"Come on, let's get this over with." She stared after him in confusion as he walked ahead of her. After a few more steps, Damon stopped and turned around. "Elena?" he called after her and snapped his fingers.

She hurried to him and they walked side-by-side until an reached the abandoned house in the middle of the woods. Elena felt her heart leap into her throat at the prospect of finding Stefan. She just knew that he was close, just within her reach. Damon stopped her as they reached the back door. He tried the handle and wasn't very surprised to find it unlocked. He gently moved his foot towards the threshold. Again, no shock there, he didn't need an invitation to get in.

Elena followed closely behind him, eyes jumping around at every creak and groan the house's old structure made. He led her to a door off to the side of the kitchen and opened it. The musty smell of the basement filled her nostrils. Due to the vampire blood in her system, Elena could detect the small trace of metallic richness to the air; the smell of blood. Her hand went to her lips to keep any unwanted noises from coming out. Damon walked down the railless steps first, taking her hand in his to guide her.

As the pair found the bottom of the stairs, they paused to take in their surroundings. There was pale golden light coming from behind the stairwell where the basement was exposed. Elena felt her breathing becoming more rapid and shallow as she worked up the courage to turn around. She could see Damon from the corner of her eye. His hand squeezed hers to convey the message; he felt the same way. Whatever feud he and Stefan had didn't matter any more. They were still brothers and he was damned if anyone other than himself was going to destroy that.

With that, Elena took one last deep breath and turned around. Her heart skipped a beat and her knees threatened to give out. The sight in front of her was something straight out of a horror movie. Stefan was stripped down to almost nothing. There were ropes around his ankles that bound him to the floor; wound so tight that there was blood oozing out from under it. His arms were stretched over his head, chained to the ceiling with more rope. Again, blood was dripping down his forearms from the tightness of the ropes.

That wasn't what horrified her the most.

It was the big gaping wounds and deep scratches that covered the rest of his exposed skin. What little flesh was unmarked was grey, meaning he was extremely low on blood.

"Stefan!" she whispered and began to make her way towards him. Tears were clouding her vision and wetting her cheeks. The need to feel him in her arms again was overwhelming.

As she reached out to him, he snapped at her. His fangs were out and he was fighting against the ropes trying to get to her. Damon appeared in front of her, putting some distance between Elena and Stefan. "He can hear your blood and smell your fear," Damon informed her, trying to keep his voice light.

Elena nodded and looked around Damon to examine the other brother. "She staked him."

"I'm honestly not sure how he's still alive."

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking back up at him.

"The blood coming from the rope wounds is trickling slowly. Kind of like the way sap leaks from a tree. It only does that when the body has been dead for awhile. It's coagulated. From the amount of stake wounds that I can see, he should be a shriveled corpse by now."

Elena felt herself shudder. "We have to get him down."

"The ropes are laced with vervain."

That posed a problem. Damon was the one that had the strength to get the ropes off of Stefan, but they were doused in an elixir that would burn away his flesh and take away the only hope that Elena had at getting out of here. "So now what?"

"She's using this place as a torture chamber. There has to be something down here we can use."

The problem with searching the basement was that the faint lighting was only around Stefan in the center of the room. Off to the sides, there was nothing but darkness. The basement was completely open and was spanned the entire layout of the house. Elena's eyesight had improved, but it was hard enough to see in the lighting as it was. "I'll leave that to you," she said sullenly.

He nodded and disappeared into the shadows. Elena caught a movement from Stefan and looked at him wearily. He made her nervous in this state. It was Stefan; that much she knew, but the man she had fallen in love with seemed to have evaporated. Elena understood that it was the need for blood and the torture he had endured that twisted his feature into that of a monster, but it still made her uneasy.

The sound of a creaky door opening made her jump and take a few steps back. "Damon?" she called out softly.

She heard the sounds of a struggle followed by various items falling to the floor. It was clear to her that Damon was in trouble, unable to call out for help. As something else clashed to the floor, she finally found herself running for the stairs. It was a little strange to be running from something she knew she couldn't escape, but the need to get away was winning over the want to stay. Flight or fight; the two most basic instincts and flight had won. Elena made it all the way to the top of the stairs and burst into the kitchen. Before she could even take another step, something seized her around the waist and lifted her off her feet. A cry of pain escaped her lips as she was flung to the floor with an incredible amount of force. She heard the tile break the moment her head landed on it and pain flared up and down her right arm as the elbow shattered.

Elena rolled onto her back and coughed, trying desperately to get air into her lungs. The harsh impact had knocked the wind out of her. Her eyes fluttered open to see a brunette crouching over her, a cruel smile on her lips. Elena's eyes snapped open completely at the recognition of the woman. "Katherine," she choked out, launching herself into another coughing fit.

Katherine's head tipped to the side and her smile widened. "Hello Elena."

The vampire wrapped her hand around the human girl's throat and lifted her into a sitting position. The smile faded from her face as her canines lengthened and her eyes darkened with blood lust. Without saying anything, Katherine slammed Elena's head against the tile once more. When she was sure the human version of herself was unconscious, she picked her up and carried her back down to the basement.

A grin spread across her face as she dumped Elena to her feet in front of Stefan and Damon, who was now in the same position as his brother. "Let the games begin," she said.


	18. Chapter 18

**a/n: First off, thank you to my amazing beta Zoraya Windwalker! Without her, there would be quite a few errors.**

**Finally! Episode six is on tonight! Meaning I'll be able to update One Kiss (I should have chapter 7 up by Saturday at the latest). Alright, here's the confrontation you've been waiting for.**

EIGHTEEN

Elena took a deep breath, her body jumping slightly as she became conscious again. The sunlight that touched her face made it seem as if her eyelids were red. A slight breeze blew over her body, teasing the small hairs on her exposed skin and sending a shiver down her spine. She shifted her body, immediately getting the sensation that she was floating. She uncurled her hands and felt the blades of grass beneath her fingers. _Odd_, she thought.

"_Elena_..." the voice was nothing more than a faint whisper, but it made her entire body come alive. "Elena." This time the voice was clearly recognizable. Instantly, she felt grounded and sat up straight.

"Stefan!" she cried out and scrambled to her feet. She ran to him, faster than she had ever run in her life. She jumped into his arms and he caught her with ease. He spun her around as she leaned in and kissed his lips, feeling nothing but pure happiness.

He set her down gently and locked his arms around her waist, keeping her in place. "I love you so much. You know that right?"

"Of course I know that," she breathed, pressing her cheek onto his chest. She inhaled deeply, reveling in the feel of him in her arms again. She gasped in surprise and pulled back enough to look at him. "How did we get away from Katherine?"

"We didn't," came another voice from behind them.

Elena turned in Stefan's arms to see Damon approaching them. It was then that she noticed that they were in a clearing. It was strangely familiar to her. Her eyes widened and she looked away from Damon as she remembered the dream he had given her, the one where she had chosen him over Stefan.

"I'm here to say goodbye to you," Stefan whispered.

Elena pulled out of his grasp as if his touched burned her. "What?"

She could see the tears beginning to form in his green eyes as he looked at her. "I'm dying, Elena. She..." his voice faltered.

"No!" she screamed and launched herself into his arms again. She was getting his shirt wet with her tears, but she didn't care. "You can't die on me!"

He pulled her away from him and firmly held her shoulders. "I love you," he said and let his hands fall away from her.

She shook her head in disbelief and watched in horror as he became transparent. "I love you," she whispered over her sobs. Her eyes remained glued to his until he was no longer there.

Elena fell to her knees on the grass below her. She put her head in her hands and cried silently. She jumped as Damon knelt before her and took her hands in one of his, the other tipped her chin up so he could look at her. "I failed you."

"Don't say that," she breathed.

"She left after bringing you down to the basement. I thought I could at least let you say goodbye to Stefan. It was easier to connect the three of us with my blood in your system, but I couldn't keep him here any longer."

Elena saw the defeat in his eyes. It made her angry. She pulled her hands away and shoved him. "You are _not_ giving up! We _are_ getting out of here!"

They both got to their feet at the same time and stared at each other. "Elena, Stefan _is_ dying. As I said before, there's hardly any blood in his system." He stopped and reached out to cup her face in both of his hands. "She came in through another door and caught me. I'm tied up the same way Stefan is."

"What about me?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"You're sitting in a chair facing us. Your ankles are tied to the chair legs, but that's it."

"A wooden chair?"

He nodded, but there was still that sadness in his eyes. "She'll kill you before you get the chance."

"I have to try," she returned stubbornly.

He admired her strength, even though her attempts would be for nothing. He could feel his own strength begin to fade. Fabricating this fantasy for her was taking all of his energy. "I never meant to hurt you," he breathed in reference to his previous infiltrations.

"I know," she returned and felt more tears sliding down her cheeks. She could taste their saltiness as they stopped at her mouth.

Unable to hold back, Damon leaned in and gently placed his lips on top of hers. Elena let her eyes close and gave into her feelings, reveling in the kiss. She wanted to tell him how she truly felt. But knowing that it would only cause him more pain, she decided to keep those feelings bottled up inside.

Abruptly, he stepped away from her. Her eyes opened in time to see him fade in the same way Stefan had only moments before. Her heart nearly shattered at the sight of a single tear falling from his ghostlike figure and down the grass where his feet had been.

When she was alone in the clearing, she closed her eyes again, waiting for reality to settle in at any moment. A cold wind blew over her skin and made her shiver. Her eyes opened and a hand flew to her mouth in shock. The grass had turned yellow, a sign that it was dead. The trees were devoid of all leaves and the sun was gone, leaving a pure black sky and only the faintest trace of the moon.

Elena stilled as she felt a hand grab onto each of her shoulders from behind. Before she was turned around, she knew Katherine was behind her. The vampire grinned at her, head tipped to the side in mock innocence. "You know, he gave me the idea of haunting you in the first place."

"What?"

"I saw Damon go to your room each and every night. Sometimes he would just watch you sleep, others he would give you fantasies beyond your wildest dreams." Her eyes widened with sick fascination. "It gave me the idea to mess with your head. I have to say, it worked better than I had hoped for."

"What do you want with them?"

"The same thing you do," she replied and stepped right up to the human girl. Katherine reached up to sink her hand into Elena's hair, gently tugging her head back to expose her throat. "But you can't have them. They're mine." With that, she reared her head back and sank her fangs into Elena's throat.

Elena screamed all the way from the dream world to reality. Her scream bounced off of the damp basement walls and echoed around the room until Katherine dislodged herself and stood up straight. Elena whimpered as pain coursed through her entire body. Her unbound hand went to her neck and came away covered in blood; noticing that the necklace was no longer around her neck. She watched in horror as Katherine approached Damon and reached up to kiss him with Elena's blood on her lips.

Damon lashed out at Katherine. He tore her lip and she hissed in anger. When she stepped back, she grabbed a stake with vampiric speed and stabbed him in the side. "Stop!" Elena begged, beginning to sob again. "You're killing them!" she cried, staring at Damon's freshly bleeding wound.

"It's their punishment," Katherine said, removing the stake and dropping it to the ground. She narrowed her eyes at Damon who refused to show any ounce of pain to satisfy her.

"For what? You're the one that abandoned them! You let them think that you were dead!" Forgetting that her legs were bound, Elena stood up, only to fall to the floor with the chair landing on top of her.

Katherine roughly returned her to her sitting position and held her chin tightly. "That doesn't give them the right to replace me!" she hissed. The whites of her eyes turned red with the anger she felt towards Elena, but she did nothing. When she could feel her anger dwindling for the moment, she leaned in inhaled the human's scent. She stood up and smirked, walking behind Elena so she could see the Salvatore's reaction. "This is an interesting development."

Elena's eyes went to Stefan. He was staring at her with his fangs out and the veins protruding around his darkened eyes. Right now, all he could hear was her heart beat. He could smell the blood that Katherine had spilled and he wanted it. Elena tore her gaze away and looked at Damon. It was almost just as frightening to look at him as it was with Stefan. His eyes were completely focused on her, but his normally hard eyes now were soft and filled with sorrow.

"I can taste Damon's blood in your veins," came Katherine's voice from behind Elena. Her body stilled, hoping- praying- that Stefan was too far gone to hear anything. "I can _smell_ him on you as well." Elena jumped as Katherine knelt in front of her, a wicked grin on her face. "So tell me Elena, which one was better?"

"Go to hell!" Elena spat.

Katherine laughed and stood up after untying the rope that bound Elena to the chair, facing Damon since he was the only one conscious enough to hear her. "I can see why both of you like her. Even without the doppelganger-in-looks thing she would have reminded me of myself. Right, Damon?" She stopped by his side and reached up to stroke his jaw with her index finger.

Damon's eyes left Elena long enough to look at Katherine. "She's nothing like you. She's better."

Katherine froze and the smile faded into a scowl. Moving so fast that not even Damon could follow her movements, she lodged another stake into the small of his back. Instead of taking it out, she left it there and smirked at the pain visible on his face. Elena squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stomach their torture anymore. Finally, she heard the stake drop to the floor and opened her eyes to find Damon staring back at her.

Katherine moved to stand between them and sighed while looking at Damon. "I guess I should tell you why I came back." Her head turned a fraction to look at Stefan. "When I got out of that house, I searched for the two of you. I made sure that you completed your transition and then I left. I know, I promised you both eternity, but here we are."

"You let us think you were dead," Damon bit out. "And now you think you can waltz in like nothing happened and expect us to still want you."

Katherine's brow rose as she turned to look at Elena over her shoulder. She looked at Damon again and laughed. "You expect _me_ to believe that you've moved on when you're in love with my duplicate?"

Elena blinked a few times and looked at the ground. Katherine's words echoed in her head along with the three words that still haunted her from earlier. It couldn't be true; Damon didn't love her. He couldn't. He didn't. But as Elena looked up, her entire world came undone. Her eyes met Damon's and she could _see_ it in those steel blue orbs. It was true; he loved her.

"As I was saying," Katherine continued, unaware of the exchange between Damon and Elena. "I made sure that the two of you were alright, that nothing happened to you. I wanted to be completely sure about my decision."

"You spent the last hundred and forty-five years deciding which brother you wanted?" Elena asked, shaking her head at the other woman's insanity. "You let them think that you were dead!"

Katherine rolled her shoulders but decided to ignore the girl. "But I finally made my choice Damon," she said and stepped closer to him to cup his jaw. "And it's not you."

As those words whispered past her lips, Damon's world came to a screeching halt. His entire existence had been because of Katherine and he had loved her up until the point he discovered she hadn't died; just abandoned him. But to hear her say that she didn't want him... He felt as if he were dying all over again.

Elena felt the tears in her eyes as she saw the pain and anger on Damon's face. _That bitch!_ she thought, planning all the ways to kill her for hurting them.

Katherine moved to Stefan and smiled at him. "You must be starving," she cooed.

"No!" Damon and Elena shouted in unison.

She smiled again and moved quickly to get a knife. "I promised you that we would have eternity Stefan. I also promised that you wouldn't remember them." With a few quick strokes, Stefan's arms fell to his sides. Katherine stood behind him and leaned her lips to his ear. "Kill her," she demanded.

Damon struggled against the ropes, allowing the vervain to enter his system. He was trying to get out of the restraints to help Elena. That was all that mattered. Elena shot to her feet as Katherine cut the remains of Stefan's ropes. She didn't make it very far and found herself pinned between Stefan and a damp wall. Her entire body trembled with fear as he tipped her head to the side to expose the blood on her skin. The wound itself had finally healed thanks to Damon's blood.

"Stefan, stop!" she demanded through sobs. Her hands pushed at his chest in attempt to get away. She knew it was futile, trying to dislodge a starving, near death vampire, but she had to try. "Please, Stefan, don't do this!" she begged as his lips pressed against her flesh.

Katherine watched with malicious glee as Stefan's head reared back and then struck Elena. She screamed in pain, even long after she realized that Stefan's teeth were blunt. He was making feeding noises but there was no blood leaving her system. Her heart soared as she realized he was putting on a show for Katherine. Elena struggled against him, crying out every once in awhile until Stefan pulled away and let her fall to the floor.

Elena watched through slit eyes as he approached Katherine. She grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss. Stefan used this moment to catch her off guard and sunk his fangs into her flesh. She was older and stronger, but Stefan was in a state of primal hunger. Until he got the blood he needed to heal, he would be stronger. Katherine dropped the knife to fight him off and Stefan kicked it behind him towards Elena.

Elena scrambled to her feet and grabbed the knife from the ground before moving to Damon. She cut the ropes as fast as she could and helped him get the remains of the rope from his wrists and ankles. Free, Damon bent down and picked up the stake Katherine had dropped at his feet. As he turned to go after her, Katherine finally got the upper hand and flung Stefan through the air and right into Damon. Both brothers went soaring backwards until they hit the cement wall. Their impact caused the building to tremble. Elena turned to see the two of them lying in a heap of limbs. Normally, they would already be on their feet, but from the lack of blood and multiple stake wounds, the collision kept them down.

That left killing Katherine to Elena.

Damon had dropped the stake as Stefan crashed into him. Elena dove for it the instant Katherine's attention turned towards her. Blinded by rage, Katherine was careless as she went after Elena. The female vampire pinned her duplicate to the wall with enough force that Elena heard her skull crack as it bounced off of the cement. Pain coursed throughout her entire body and her hand let go of the stake. As Katherine's fangs sank into her flesh, Elena fought back with all of the energy she had left.

Damon forced himself to his feet. He had to lean against the wall to make the room stop spinning before he went to Elena's aide. Since Katherine was focused on killing the human girl, Damon was able to grab the stake and jam it into her back, right into her unbeating heart.

Katherine screamed and stumbled back. Elena slumped against the wall and panted for air; her heart beating wildly in her chest. Both she and Damon turned their gaze to Katherine as she shriveled up into a motionless corpse, the emotions of pain and betrayal frozen on her face.

Elena slowly moved her eyes back to Damon and felt her body slide down the wall an inch. It was over. Katherine was dead; truly dead. Elena felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. From the look in Damon's eyes, he was experiencing the same thing. For the first time in a hundred and forty-five years, he was free of Katherine. As the adrenaline in her system began to dwindle, Elena slid a little more. Her eyes fluttered and she did something she had never done before.

She fainted.


	19. Chapter 19

**a/n: I know, that was a little bit of a cliffhanger. A lot of you asked if Elena was going to change. Honestly, that never even crossed my mind for this story, so no. Elena really did faint and she is still human :) You guys are amazing! Thank you to everyone who reviews/favorites/reads and puts me on alerts. Of course, thank you to my amazing beta, Zoraya Windwalker!**

**and I fibbed a little...One Kiss will be up tomorrow...I'm still working on it.**

NINETEEN

Elena felt her senses return to her one by one. As she regained consciousness, she was able to feel the softness of a bed beneath her. She was lying on her side with her hands folded under her head. She could feel the ache in her shoulders from being in that position and was afraid to move. Not to mention the fact that the rest of her body was sore. Next to return was her hearing. Wherever she was, the room was silent, but then she heard it; the soft pitter-pat of rain as it gently hit the windows. As she inhaled, she caught the familiar scent of Damon. _I must be in his room_, she thought, knowing the last thing she had to do was open her eyes.

Fortunately, the storm clouds outside prevented direct sunlight from seeping into the room. As Elena opened her eyes, she felt a wave of relief. She blinked a few times to make the room stop spinning and the moment she shifted her body, she regretted it. She groaned as nausea settled in and her eyes squeezed shut, trying to make the awful sensation go away. It was too late though, that little movement had allowed her to feel the damage that had been done to her body. Her shoulders were tense, her neck ached, and her body felt heavy. The stress had finally caught up to her.

"Here, drink this," she heard Damon whisper from somewhere close by. Before she had a chance to respond, she felt his wrist at her lips and tasted his blood on her tongue. As the rich, coppery liquid made its way down her throat, the nausea seemed to disappear and the ache in her body began to dissolve. After a few more swallows, Elena pushed his wrist away and licked her lips.

When she opened her eyes again, Damon was sitting on the edge of the bed, twisted at the waist to face her. There was a faint smile on his lips at the fact that she had regained consciousness, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks," she breathed and adjusted herself so she was lying on her back to look at him better. "Is it over?" she asked in a small voice. He inclined his head and turned so that he was sitting straight, facing the windows at her side.

"Katherine's dead. She won't be able to hurt you ever again."

Elena felt her heart break from the underlying emotions in his voice. Without thinking, she sat up and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she breathed, feeling the tears gathering behind her eyes. She felt him stiffen from her touch, making her hug him even tighter.

Damon had spent a hundred and forty-five years mourning Katherine. When he met Elena, a part of him thought he would finally be able to move on. Then he learned that Katherine was back; that she had never been dead or imprisoned in that godforsaken tomb. Foolishly, a small part of Damon still believed that his long lost love had returned for him. Even though she had harmed her human lookalike, he had allowed himself to feel that glimmer of hope, only to have his heart torn out again. Katherine's words still filled his ears, on a constant loop that he was unable to shut off. _"I made my choice, Damon... And it's not you."_

Then he had to watch as Katherine sent his blood starved brother on Elena. The idea of her death had been more frightening than that of Katherine's all those years ago. It was in that moment of protectiveness and horror that Damon realized he loved Elena Gilbert more than he originally thought.

But she still loved Stefan.

With that thought in mind, he pried her arms off of him and stood up, keeping his back to her. "Damon?" she called after him, getting to her feet carefully.

"How do you feel?" he asked, finally turning around to face her. She had taken enough of his blood to replace what he and Katherine had taken before; the marks on her neck barely visible.

"I'll get some real rest soon," she promised and sat on the edge of the bed as she realized her body was too sore to stand. "Tell me what happened," she demanded, patting the spot on the bed next to her. His unnaturally still body was making her nervous.

Elena watched as he walked stiffly to the bed and sat down at her side. "Do you remember everything that happened before you fainted?" he asked and saw her nod from the corner of his eye. "Both you and Stefan were so far out of it, that I was able to bring the two of you to the car without much trouble."

Elena frowned at that and turned to look at him. "I know you got an energy boost to kill Katherine, but how did you..." her voice trailed off and she sighed. "You fed from me."

"I only took enough to get us out of there." His voice sounded strained, almost as if he was trying to hide his guilt from her.

"It's okay," she told him and put her hand over his. "You did it to save us." He nodded, but she knew he didn't see it that way. "What did you do with Katherine's body?"

"She's in the flower bed out front. The ashes will be good fertilizer." His words were teasing, but his voice was laced with bitterness.

"And Stefan? Is he..." Elena couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. A tear slipped from her left eye and rolled down her cheek.

Damon's hand moved to hold hers as he answered. "He's in the basement."

"What?" she hissed and got to her feet.

Damon had a firm grip on her hand, keeping her from running down there. "He asked me to put him down there. I've been feeding him animal blood every half hour. However, if he doesn't drink human blood, he may never recover from this."

"You healed," Elena stated, staring at him in confusion.

He nodded and stood up as he saw her knees tremble. Startling them both, he gathered Elena in his arms and held her close. "Katherine only stabbed me twice and the vervain didn't have the desired effect. Plus, I fed from you shortly after."

Elena pulled her head back enough to look at him. "Then we have to make Stefan drink human blood. I don't care what he says, I'm not going to risk his life because he's stubborn."

"He can't feed from you," Damon warned.

"Why not?"

"Because the moment he was alert enough to realize you were in the house and bleeding, he made me lock him up. You've been tempting him, so I pumped you full of vervain. It worked," he informed her. "He hasn't tried to get to you since."

Elena went completely still in Damon's arms as she remembered the blood lust in Stefan's eyes as he came after her. "Why didn't he attack me in the basement?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He was more alert than we thought," he answered.

A shudder coursed through Elena's body. "So he heard what Katherine said," she mumbled, letting her eyes close.

"I don't know for sure, but I'd say there's a pretty good chance."

Elena started pulling away from Damon, but he held onto her wrists. "Damon, let me go. I have to talk to him."

"Elena, it's not safe."

"He deserves an explanation," she said and took a deep breath when he finally released her hands. "And don't you dare think about taking off. We need to talk," she warned and slowly made her way to the basement.

Damon followed her and pulled her into a storage room. He opened a fridge and pulled out a few blood bags. "Give him these. I'll be upstairs. If you need anything, call me," he demanded and then left her there.

Elena stopped outside of the cell door. She could see Stefan lying on a cot with his back to her. "You shouldn't be here," he stated. She winced at the roughness of his voice. It was laced with pain and she ached for him.

"You need to feed."

"Damon's been giving me blood."

"Human blood, Stefan." With that, Elena opened the cell door and watched as Stefan got to his feet and moved to the corner opposite her. "I can't be mad at you if you're hurt. I need you to get better so we can talk." Elena moved to the cot and laid the bags on it. Then, she backed away to the door and stood in the threshold.

Stefan looked at the bags and then at her. "If I drink human blood, it will be hard to go back to animal blood. I've been fighting the cravings for far too long."

"I don't care." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. "You were in the most primal form of blood lust and you resisted the urge to bite me. If you can do that, you can resist it now. I didn't risk my life to save you just so you could spend eternity licking your wounds."

Stefan held her gaze for a moment and then nodded. Slowly, he stepped towards the cot and picked up one of the blood bags. He held it in his hands and felt the pressure in his gums. Finally, after decades of fighting, Stefan brought it to his lips and bit through the plastic. The taste exploded his senses the moment the blood touched his tongue. Forgetting that Elena was watching, he tore into it, drinking the liquid down greedily.

Elena looked away as he started the second bag. Her eyes dropped to his chest where she could see the wounds. Instead of looking like day old bruises, they were returning to normal, the blood was working quickly to heal him. As the fourth and final bag she brought for him fell to the floor, Elena looked back up to see him wiping excess blood from his mouth and licking his fingers. They stood there, staring at each other again. Stefan could feel the blood doing its work, healing him, but he would still need more before his body completely recovered from what Katherine had done.

Stefan took a deep breath and closed his eyes as Katherine's words came back to him. "I can smell him on you," he repeated.

Elena felt her cheeks redden with guilt and shame, but she refused to look away. "Before we even get to that, I want you to explain why you didn't tell me about my resemblance to _her_. Don't you think that I had a right to know?"

Unable to stop himself, Stefan dropped his gaze to the ground. "I thought-"

"Don't you dare say it was to protect me," Elena interrupted. "When I found out about what you and Damon are, you should have told me right then and there. I proved that I was going to stay with you despite your nature, that I was strong enough to live with it. You should have known that I would have been able to handle the truth about Katherine too," she stated, straightening up. "You lied to me."

"I thought she was dead!" he blurted out, fists clenching at his sides. The beat of her heart was ringing in his ears and even knowing she was full of vervain didn't affect the urge to attack her. It was taking all of his strength to stay where he was. "Yes, I'll admit, when I first saw you, I wanted you to be Katherine."

Elena felt her lower lip begin to tremble. "So that's why you stayed in Mystic Falls?"

"No!" he hissed, wanting to make her believe him. A part of him wished that he could compel her to believe him, but he ground his teeth and stayed in the corner of the cell. "I stayed because I wanted to get to know you. After five minutes of being around you, I realized that you're nothing like her and you never will be."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I hated the fact that I spent a hundred and forty-five years mourning the death of my love and when I finally felt as though I could move on, I met you. It was like the universe was playing some twisted and cruel joke on me because of your resemblance, but I couldn't help myself, Elena. I fell in love with you anyway."

Elena shook her head and closed her eyes against the tears that were beginning to gather. Those words would have made her sing out of joy once upon a time, but now, they made her feel sick. "Damon told me you would be back in a little while and I went upstairs to wait for you. I went to the bookshelf to pick out something to read and when I pulled out a book, this box fell off. The contents were on the floor and when I went to pick them up, I saw the picture of Katherine. You should have told me," she whispered the last part.

"Damon didn't tell you either," he counted with a bitter tone.

"He wasn't the one sleeping with me!" she snapped and dropped her arms to her sides. "How many times have you told me you loved me and only saw Katherine? How many times have you made love to me only to pretend I was her?" With each question she took a few steps towards him, the anger radiating off of her like daggers. She stopped on the other side of the cot and looked at him with utter disgust. "How many times did you see _me_ and not _her_?"

"Elena..." he breathed in desperation. "I never..." his voice trailed off because it wasn't true. In the beginning, he had been thinking of Katherine. But somewhere along the way, Elena had won out. "I love you," he said confidently and took a step towards her.

She stumbled backwards and shook her head. "No you don't. If you did, you would have told me about her in the beginning." She shook her head again. "Better yet, you would have stayed the hell away from me in the first place."

He could only watch her as she began to tremble with anger. "So what does this mean for us?"

She looked up and met his gaze. "We're over. I can't stand the sight of you."

At those words, he wished Katherine had killed him. Her torture was nothing compared to how he felt now. "And you're just going to run upstairs to Damon?" he fired.

Her eyes widened and her nose flared. "This has nothing to do with your brother!" she snapped. "I found that picture and I thought since the two of you wanted so desperately for me to be Katherine that I would give her to you. It was stupid and irrational, but I can't take it back." Elena felt tears glide down her cheeks as she pictured Damon's face after Katherine announced that he loved her.

"Elena..." Stefan started but couldn't find anything else to say.

"I want you gone, Stefan. I get that this is your home, but if you ever loved me, you will leave Mystic Falls and stay gone until I'm six feet under." With that, she headed out of the cell and up the stairs.


	20. Chapter 20

TWENTY

Damon heard the exchange between Elena and Stefan in the basement. If the circumstances had been different, he would have basked in the triumph and rubbed it in Stefan's face, but he didn't feel that way. He felt partly responsible for recent events. Deciding to end the self-loathing for the moment, Damon picked up the bottle of his favorite scotch and drank deeply.

Elena came up from the basement then and headed straight for the stairs without saying a word to him. He heard her slam his bedroom door and after a few minutes, he heard the shower start. He turned his attention to the basement to check on Stefan. The sound of the fridge opening told him Stefan was on a binge. After taking another drink, Damon set the bottle down and rushed upstairs to get clothes for Elena. He rummaged through his dresser and pulled out a black button down and a pair of sweat pants that still had the tags on them. He used his vampiric speed to leave them on the edge of the sink next to the shower and then closed his bedroom door behind him on the way out.

As he came down the stairs, Stefan was heading towards the front door. "Where do you think you're going?" Damon called after him, lounging against the wall near the stairs.

Stefan stopped in his tracks, but kept his back turned towards his brother. "She wants me to leave," he said tightly. "It's much safer for her if I go. We both know how things will be if I can't control the cravings."

Damon rolled his eyes. He was really getting tired of this speech. "We've been over this little brother. You don't have to kill people to feed from them. Sure, it will take some getting used to, but it will be better in the long run."

Stefan whirled around, grinding his teeth against the urge to lash out. "Why do you care if I stay or go? You got what you wanted, Damon. Elena's all yours."

Damon pushed himself off of the wall and made a few steps towards Stefan. "Elena doesn't belong to anyone but herself." He glared at his brother and then took a deep breath to force himself to calm down. "You leaving is only going to hurt her."

Stefan snorted and shook his head. "I know you were listening. She made it painfully clear that she doesn't want me anywhere near her. Hearing her say that was worse than anything Katherine did to me while I was down in that basement." He stopped and raked a hand through his hair. "It's done and over with. I can't change what I did."

Damon watched as Stefan turned and headed to the front door. He knew there was nothing he could say or do to change his mind. Sure, his plan all along had been to get Elena and Stefan to break up, but now that it was reality, he didn't want it. He would take it all back if he could. Knowing that Elena was hurting was eating away at him. "She'll forgive you one day," was all Damon could say.

Stefan stopped at the threshold and half turned to look back at Damon. "Take care of her."

Damon nodded and just like that, Stefan was gone.

After a moment or two of staring at the closed door, Damon turned and made his way to the drink cart in the parlor. He drank straight from the bottle as he had a few minutes earlier and put it down when he heard the water turn off. Deciding that he needed another drink, he lifted the bottle back to his lips and let the liquid burn its way down his throat. He was determined to stay put until Elena needed him. It wasn't until he heard her sobs that he moved towards the stairs.

* * *

Elena wrung her hair in the stall before sticking her arm out to reach for the towel. Once she was wrapped in it, she stepped onto the little rug and her gaze fell to the pile of clothes on the sink. She dried herself off as much as she could and stepped into the clothes. The pants still had the stiffness of being new, but they were comfortable. As she pulled on the shirt, she caught his scent and it made her pause. For the first time since finding the picture in Stefan's room, the reality of the situation sank in.

Unable to keep her calm, Elena felt herself fall to the floor, using the glass of the shower as a back rest. Her elbows rested on her knees so she could hold her head in her hands while she cried. Everything was wrong with the world. Stefan was no longer a part of her life. For as much as she loved him, she knew their relationship could never work. She didn't even know where to begin where Damon was concerned. As for the rest of it, she had almost lost her life and the life of two people she loved and she couldn't tell anyone but Bonnie.

Somewhere during her breakdown, Damon had come into the bathroom. He leaned against the entryway and just watched her, making sure that physically she was okay. When she began to sob louder, he went to her and picked her up. He carried her to his bed and set her down gently. He crawled on top of the covers next to her and stilled as she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into the material of his shirt. He returned her hold, his hand stroking the length of her back in a soothing manner. Elena cried until she virtually had no tears left. Damon knew he had to tell her that Stefan left, but as her breathing became deep and even, indicating that she was on the verge of sleep, he decided that this wasn't the best time. He could tell her later.

"Damon," she breathed, snuggling closer to him, her hands clenching the fabric of his shirt.

He could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "Yes Elena?" he questioned, trying to keep his voice at a whisper as to not rouse her from the verge of sleep.

"I love you."

He felt his body tense. He wasn't sure if she was aware that she had said those words. Aware or not, they meant the world to him. She made a noise that people deep in slumber make and he smiled lightly down at her. "I love you too," he whispered. It was safe to say; she was fast asleep.

But Elena heard him.

* * *

Elena had been sleeping in his arms for hours and hadn't moved an inch. He thought about giving her a pleasant dream and then remembered she was full of vervain. Instead, he just watched her sleep and hoped that whatever was going on in her head wasn't a nightmare. From the look of peace on her face, he felt somewhat relieved. He smiled at her as she tightened her hold on him. Any closer and their bodies would have to be cut apart.

His smile faded as he heard a phone ringing. It wasn't his and it wasn't Elena's which meant Stefan hadn't taken his with him. He let the phone go to voicemail, but then it rang again. On the fourth call in a row, Damon sighed and pried himself away from Elena's vice like grip. She frowned in her sleep the moment he got up. Damon ignored it and forced himself away from her.

The phone rang again as he picked it up, the caller ID displayed the word JENNA. "Shit," he muttered and answered it. "Hello."

"Stefan?" Jenna asked. He heard the deep intake of air indicating that she had been prepared to yell the moment Stefan answered.

"He's not here."

"What do you mean he's not there? Where's Elena?"

"Elena's here and she's safe," Damon answered, choosing to ignore Jenna's first question.

"Why didn't Stefan answer his phone?" she asked again.

Damon closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Elena was not going to like the fact that he had told Jenna a cover story, but he had no choice. Elena would never let him compel her. "They had a big fight yesterday. He left and she stayed here."

"With you?"

Damon grinned at that, but only briefly. "I'm keeping her...occupied," he said nonchalantly, knowing it would make Jenna even more furious. He just couldn't help himself.

"Let me talk to her."

"I can't." Before Jenna could yell, he explained. "She's sleeping."

Jenna sighed heavily. "Fine. Will you tell her to call me the minute she wakes up? And I want her home right after that. Got it?"

"Understood," he replied and hung up. No sooner had he put the phone down and reached his own bedroom door did he hear the doorbell ring. "Damn it," he hissed.

As he opened the door, he let out a sigh of frustration before putting on a fake smile. It was Bonnie on the other side of the door. This time, he blocked her from coming in and stepped outside so they could talk on the porch.

"Did you find him?"

"Yes."

Bonnie stared at him with crossed arms and big eyes. "And?"

"And I don't want to talk about it."

"Elena's okay though?"

"She will be."

Bonnie's eyes went wide in alarm. "What-"

"Physically, she's fine," he interrupted and leaned against the exterior of the house. "Look, thank you for helping me find my brother, but you need to go. I strongly suggest that you don't ask Elena anything about what happened. Let her come to you. When she's ready, she'll talk about it." He paused and opened the door again. "And for the love of God, don't mention Stefan."

"Is he..." she started and looked down.

"He's alive, but he left."

Bonnie wanted so badly to ask why, but knew it was best not to anger Damon. Not when she could tell how he was hurting too. "Thanks for the warning. Next time, a call would be nice," she said and began walking back to her car.

Damon watched her drive away before heading back inside. As he walked towards the basement to feed, he paused at the main staircase to listen for any signs of distress from Elena. With everything appearing to be normal, he continued to the basement. When he reached the container full of stolen blood bags, Damon found himself staring at it, unable to open it and take some. The sight of Katherine feeding from Elena was the only thing he could see in front of him. The sight of her blood as it flowed freely down the soft skin of her throat made his vision turn red with anger.

The sound of something crashing broke his trance. Slowly, his vision returned to normal. He blinked in surprise at the sight of the fridge. He had crushed the sides with his hands. He swore, knowing the blood would have to be moved upstairs or it would spoil. Grumbling to himself, he unplugged the fridge and started transporting blood bags by the armful to the kitchen.

As he brought the third load up with him, he heard Elena's muffled cries coming from upstairs. He let the bags fall to the floor, one of them breaking open upon impact, as he rushed up to investigate.

* * *

_Elena could only watch in horror as Katherine struck Damon again and again with the wooden stake. If she looked away from him, she would see Stefan's corpse on the ground. Katherine finally stopped and half turned to smile at Elena. "If I can't have them, neither can you," she quipped and turned back to Damon._

_"No!" Elena cried out, finally able to find her voice._

_"Elena!" came Damon's plea even though his lips weren't moving._

_Katherine circled the elder Salvatore and picked up the largest stake she had. Once she got between him and Elena once more, she placed it over his heart. As the demonic version of herself began to push the stake into Damon's body, she screamed._

"Elena!" Damon called again as he shook her shoulders. She was having a nightmare and because she was full of vervain, he couldn't get inside of her head to stop it. What scared him was the fact that she was screaming and lashing out with her arms while she was asleep. "Elena, wake up!" he demanded.

Her eyes burst open and her body went still as she took in the sight of him. Her breathing was shallow and uneven while her heart hammered inside of her chest. When she realized that Damon was real and not another part of her nightmare, she rose up and put her arms around his neck. Had he been human, she would have been choking him from the tightness of her hold. His arms went around her in order to draw her into his lap. He gently rocked her back and forth until she calmed down.

"Don't leave me," she mumbled.

Damon wasn't sure he heard her at first, but something in her eyes when she looked up at him told him that he had. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised and continued to hold her.


	21. Chapter 21

**a/n: you guys are amazing :) This is the second to last chapter...the last one will be up on Friday :( As always, thank you to my awesome beta Zoraya Windwalker; you're the best :)**

TWENTY-ONE

It wasn't until after the sun had set for the night that Elena felt ready to talk. She was still in shock and the depression was sinking in, but she had questions and Damon had answers. She figured it was better to get this out of the way now instead of letting it drag on. "Where's Stefan?" she asked as she hunched over her cup of coffee sitting on the kitchen island.

Damon was making something for her to eat. He was prepared to shove it down her throat if he had to. "He's gone," he answered, turning to look at her.

She nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the faucet. "Oh."

"You asked him to leave," he pointed out.

Her eyes jumped up to his and she scowled. "I know that," she said tersely. "That doesn't make it hurt any less."

Instead of saying anything to make her feel worse, Damon turned his attention back to the stove. "Jenna called."

Elena felt her body tense and her eyes closed. "What the hell am I supposed to tell her?" she asked in a frightened whisper.

"I told her that the two of you had a fight and I was letting you stay here to cool off."

"She'll still expect me to go to school tomorrow and come home afterwards." Elena took a deep breath to keep from hyperventilating. "I can't exactly go up to her and tell her that I missed a day of school because I almost got killed the night before trying to save my-" she stopped abruptly. "To save you and Stefan from your psychotic ex girlfriend that you both thought was dead."

"Don't forget that you came straight here after school yesterday," he added, immediately regretting it as he heard her heart skip a beat.

Neither of them would forget that; ever.

"You're not helping," she said dryly as she stood up. The need to move had her pacing back and forth in the kitchen.

"You don't have to tell her," he said, turning to look at her.

"No, you're not compelling Jenna." It was then that panic settled in. "If you did, you would have to compel everyone. What am I supposed to do when people ask me where Stefan is? I can't say he left town to live with other family because you're his only family and you'd still be here."

In an instant, he was before her, his hands firmly gripping her shoulders to keep her in place. "You can just tell people you broke up and he ran away with his ex. I can confirm the story saying I know he'll be back soon."

She stared at him blankly. "They're still going to ask me and I'm going to break down every time they do."

"You won't. You're stronger than that," he said confidently. He let go of her shoulders, letting his fingers trail down the outsides of her arms. A light shudder rolled through her body and she stepped back.

She thought it over while staring at the ground. It was true, when she had returned to school this year, people had asked her if she was alright and she hadn't cried. Then again, she had had all summer to grieve. It had barely been more than twelve hours since she and Damon went to find Stefan and now he was gone. Sighing heavily with defeat, she looked back up at him. "I heard you."

His eyes narrowed lightly as he straightened up and his head cocked to the side questioningly. "What?"

"Earlier," she explained. "You thought I was asleep, but I heard you."

He could only stare at her, not knowing how to react. "You said it first."

"I know," she breathed. "When I said it yesterday, it was just a reflex. But I must have been feeling it subconsciously otherwise I wouldn't have. It's true though, Damon. I do love you."

"Elena-" he started but she shook her head and held up her hand, signaling for him to be quiet.

"Last night, when Katherine was torturing the two of you, I kept imagining what life would be like without you. It hurt more than I thought it would, to watch her do that to you." Elena paused and let her eyes close. "If I'd had to choose, I would have chosen you."

Damon stepped forward and cupped her face lightly. "That's not true. Stefan was almost dead when we got there, that's why you thought that way."

She shook her head despite his hold. "Don't tell me what I think."

"Elena," he said, his voice heavy with frustration. As much as he wanted her words to be the true, he didn't want her to say something that she would regret. Instead, he let go of her and let his hands fall back to his sides.

"Stefan and I were over the moment I found that portrait in his room. He lied to me from day one. He stayed because he wanted to see exactly how much like Katherine I was."

"I never-"

"You came back to town to make Stefan's life hell, not because you found out there was a girl that looked like Katherine. I don't blame you for not telling me. Like you said, Stefan was the one dating me, not you." Elena turned her back to him and walked to the island, resting against the granite countertop. "Why did you kiss me?" she asked, trying to get an answer from him for the last time.

Finally, Damon had an answer to give her. "Because I wanted to. For the first time in my life as a vampire, I didn't want to hurt the human in front of me. Instead, I let my curiosity get the best of me. I knew what your kisses felt like in the dream world, but I wanted to see what they were like in reality."

Elena got the hidden meaning behind those words. He wanted her, long before he knew it himself. Not just because Stefan had her first, but because he had always been in love with her. Even if he hadn't known it at the time, the emotion had been there, lurking beneath the surface. What scared her the most about that realization was the fact that it was the same for her.

She turned around to face him, resting her back against the countertop. "When I first met Stefan, I thought he was perfect. He was obviously haunted by something tragic just like I was. He was safe; someone I could talk to easily about anything. I thought that we were meant to be." Elena stopped to look at him and saw the scowl on his face. As much as he didn't want to hear about Stefan, he knew she wasn't finished. "Then you came along and changed everything."

"Please, you hated me from the beginning."

"Well, you were a jerk," she fired back, unable to keep a small smile from touching her lips. "Constantly trying to get between Stefan and me with your flirtatious attitude and innuendoes. I was attracted to you though; to that dangerous, devil-may-care side of you."

He gave her a sultry smirk. "Everyone's attracted to me. It's a curse, really."

"It wasn't until that first night you stayed with me to make sure that whatever game Katherine was playing wouldn't hurt me, that I realized you could be sweet. You genuinely cared about what happened to me and it got me to rethink my relationship with Stefan. Of course, I loved him and I wasn't going to drop everything for a what-if, but it was tempting." She took a deep breath and moved towards him. "I'm a different person when I'm with you. For the first time since my parents died, I felt more like my old self. Last night, you treated me as an equal, like I wasn't some fragile object that would crumble under the first sign of pressure. We have passion and chemistry and that's something I didn't have with Stefan. That's something I need in a relationship in order to work. Now, with all the bad stuff behind us, we can find out if we can work together," she said, finishing the last part in a whisper while her gaze dropped to the floor.

He lifted her head back up by cupping her chin. "But?" he said slowly.

"Like I said, I don't know how to explain things to anyone. Bonnie's the only one I can tell the truth to and it would be completely unfair to you if I ask you to keep us a secret. I don't want you to feel like I'm ashamed to be seen in public with Stefan's brother so soon after our break up, but I just..." she stopped to breathe and tried to collect her thoughts. "No one would understand unless I- we- told them the truth and that's not an option."

He smiled sweetly at her. She amazed him; she really did. Here they were, not even twenty-four hours after going through hell and she was thinking of his feelings and about their future. She didn't even seem the least bit upset about her break up with Stefan. That alone deserved respect. It led him to believe that she was telling the truth, that she had considered their relationship over the minute she discovered Katherine's portrait. Elena was much stronger than Damon originally gave her credit for.

"Elena, I didn't say anything about us being together." He held onto her shoulders once again as she tried to walk away, tears of rejection burning in her eyes. "You need time to grieve and deal with what happened."

"But-"

"I promised you that I wouldn't leave you. I want nothing more than to be with you, but I need to know that you're okay. Right now, you need friends to talk to and shoulders to cry on." He moved one hand to cup the side of her face and leaned in so that his forehead was touching hers. "And when you're ready to start another relationship, I will still be here. I've waited a hundred and forty-five years for you, I can wait a few more if that's what it takes."

As they stood there, Damon realized it was a bad idea to be this close to her. The last thing he wanted to do was wait, but he knew that if he rushed her, he would lose her. With that thought in mind, he stepped back and reached into his pocket for his phone. He set it on the counter before returning to the stove. "Call your aunt. The food will be ready after that."

Elena nodded and took the phone with her into the parlor. She dialed Jenna's number and held the phone up to her ear. "Hello?" came Jenna's voice.

"Hey Jenna."

"Elena? What the hell happened to you? Why haven't you come home? Are you still at the boarding house?" After a few more questions, Elena felt frozen. "Elena? Are you okay?" Jenna asked in a softer voice.

Elena nodded, momentarily forgetting Jenna couldn't actually see her and then cleared her throat. "What Damon told you earlier is true. Stefan's gone and I just didn't want to explain to anyone."

"What happened?" Jenna asked and then gasped. "Sorry."

"It's alright. Um, his ex has been back in town and last night he decided to leave with her."

"Leave? He's in high school," Jenna stated flatly, completely confused.

"They ran away together," Elena repeated. "Damon let me stay here and I'm sorry that I didn't go to school."

Jenna sighed. "Promise me you'll be in school tomorrow and come straight home afterwards?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, then you can stay another night. But Elena?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't do anything you'll come to regret."

Elena knew she meant rebound with Damon, but agreed with her anyway. "I won't. See you tomorrow," she said quickly and hung up. As she sat there with the phone in her hands, she realized that she already done something she regretted. She turned to look at Damon in the kitchen and smiled; it was time to fix that.


	22. Chapter 22

**a/n: Thank you Zoraya Windwalker for being my amazing beta :)**

**alright guys, this is the end :( I may write a sequel, but I'm working on a few other stories at the moment, so we'll see. Other than One Kiss, I won't be posting any new stories until my wonderful beta returns from her six week work trip. But the good news is, when she does return, I should have new stories ready to go :) Thanks again to all the readers/reviewers out there. You guys are awesome!**

**For those of you that are interested I'll be working on three stories. One is the wedding that I keep promising...it would have been up sooner, but I'm having issues with writng a wedding...it's something I usually stay away from, but I figured I put Delena through so much in that series, they deserved it. The second one is Caught in the Middle. It was originally a oneshot and the first chapter is already up. For those of you that haven't read it, Elena finds herself alone in the boarding house and ends up in Damon's room at the same time him and Katherine are coming home...I'm sure you can figure out what's going to happen. That's also going to be a Delena story filled with smut ;) The third one is going to take place after college where Elena comes back to Mystic Falls. I don't want to give much away, but it's going to be completely original and I will be taking some liberties with the werewolf legend they used on the show. And, like I said, I might do a sequel to this one too...**

**So thanks again everyone!**

TWENTY-TWO

Damon heard the exchange between Elena and her aunt. He hadn't purposely eavesdropped, but he still felt a little guilty all the same. When he heard the conversation end, he refocused his attention to the pot on the stove. Truth be told, he had no idea what he was making and judging from the smell of it, it wasn't going to be edible anyway. It was the first time, that he could remember, that his cooking skills were letting him down. He stared down at the stove and tried to think of the last time he had been unable to make a dish.

Lost in thought, he jumped slightly as a pair delicate hands rested on his hips. He turned quickly to see Elena's jaw dropped in shock; eyes sparkling with laughter. "That's twice I scared you," she said proudly.

"You didn't scare me."

Her brow rose as she tipped her head to the side. "I beg to differ," she muttered.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her and then looked down as he felt her hands moving towards the buttons on his shirt. He reached down and took her hands in his. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she challenged.

He stared at her; something was different. It was as if she had undergone a personality switch during her conversation. The sad Elena he had been talking to a few minutes ago had been replaced by the playful and very aroused Elena that stood before him now. "Jenna was right, you shouldn't do anything that you'll regret."

He let go of her hands when she tugged and kept his eyes on hers as her hands slid up his chest to cup his face. "I know what I'm doing and I can assure you that I won't regret it." She paused to smile at him, letting her hands fall to his shoulders. As she continued to speak, her fingers began to undo the buttons of his shirt. "You said you had been waiting a hundred and forty-five years for me and I would be no better than Katherine if I made you wait a minute longer." With his shirt hanging open to reveal his toned chest, her fingers gently trailed down to his belt.

Damon felt himself harden as he realized what she was going to do. "Elena..." he started, but couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Stefan and Katherine are gone; neither is coming back. That gives us all the time in the world to make our relationship work. No distractions, no one trying to ruin us; absolutely nothing standing in our way."

He chuckled softly at that. "Never say never, Elena. I'm a vampire; trouble follows me wherever I go."

"That's because you usually start it," she said, a small smile gracing her lips as she pulled the belt from the loops of his jeans. She held his gaze as she undid the fly of his jeans and watched as his eyes fluttered with pleasure as she dipped her hand into the opening to wrap her fingers around him. The sight of his hands gripping the counter made her smile even more. "As of this moment, the past is officially the past. What's done is done and, given the chance, I wouldn't change a thing. All events led me to you. I love you, Damon," she breathed and then knelt before him.

Damon felt the counter crumble beneath his vice-like grip from the combination of seeing and feeling Elena taking him into her mouth. He was still trying to wrap his mind around her words, hoping that he wasn't just hallucinating or conjuring up fantasies of his own. Somehow, he managed to pull himself out his thoughts and was rewarded with the pleasurable sensation of her tongue swirling around the tip of his erection. He removed one of his hands from the counter and let it sink into her hair. As he cupped the back of her head, he encouraged her to keep going. His hips bucked involuntarily towards her mouth but Elena didn't let it faze her. His hand gathered more and more of her hair while pressing her closer to him, signaling that he was close to his release. She was prepared to continue, but Damon pulled her away with both hands and drew her to her feet.

A gasp of surprise left her lips and she laughed slightly as he picked her up and used his vampiric speed to set her down on the island counter. Whatever clutter had been there was now on the floor in pieces. Her laughter turned into a groan as he hastily removed her borrowed sweatpants and her underwear right with it. Elena propped herself up on her elbows and watched as he bent down in front of her and hooked her legs over his shoulders. His eyes flickered up to hers and the electricity between them intensified. He held her gaze even as his tongue found her core. Elena's heart skipped a beat and she bit her lower lip. Watching Damon please her was something she would never get used to. As he continued to please her, her head fell back and her eyes began to close.

She felt Damon pull away and she lifted her head to look at him. "Watch me," he demanded in a husky voice.

Elena nodded and groaned as his tongue swept across her again. As he pulled that tiny bundle of nerves into his mouth and his finger slipped into her wetness her head was spinning from the pleasure coursing through her and her eyes were demanding that she shut them. Damon added another finger, earning a breathy moan from her. His eyes met hers and she felt the pleasure intensify. As he worked his magick on her, it was getting harder and harder to follow his orders but somehow she managed.

Elena thought he would pull away before letting her finish, but the moment she felt the tension in her body increase, she knew he wasn't going to stop. Her eyes widened and her breathing quickened, but she never took her eyes off of him. Damon reveled in the sight of her release, delighted that she done as he had asked and let him see it through.

Even before she had come down from her high, Damon surged forward so he was leaning over her as much as he could. Her legs were still over his shoulders, something she had never experienced before and was more than excited to try. Damon put his hands on her hips and looked down at her wearing nothing but one of his shirts. The sight was enough to make him lose it then and there. He smirked at her; if she was going to drive him crazy, he was going to return the favor.

Slowly, he inserted the tip of his member into her. Elena groaned with anticipation and bit her lip. He repeated the notion, never going past the tip, even as she bucked her hips forward to try and take him in further. Elena wanted to scream from the way Damon was teasing her. Her lips parted to yell at him, only to have a moan escape as he buried himself to the hilt with one powerful thrust. Elena whimpered as he pulled completely out of her. He grinned and slid himself back inside. He repeated this until she could not stand it any longer.

"Damon!" she shouted in a tone somewhere between begging, demanding, and whining.

Unable to continue teasing her anymore, Damon entered her again and began to thrust repeatedly with enough speed to create the friction she had been waiting for. Damon nearly lost it when Elena began to squeeze her own breasts while murmuring words of encouragement to him. Her back arched to accept more of him as her hips met his with each thrust. She wanted to close her eyes, but she was sure Damon would stop and demand that she open them.

Damon slowed down the pace a little as he reached up to grab her legs. He removed them from his shoulders and she locked them around his waist. "Harder," she breathed, smirking at the look of surprise on Damon's face. He obliged, slamming into her roughly for the next few strokes.

Needing more, Elena surged forward until her front was flush against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his lips. She kissed him wildly, letting him know that she wanted more. Abruptly, she pulled her lips away and began kissing his neck, adding little love bites as she went. Damon buried himself all the way into her and picked her up. She tightened the hold of her legs around his waist and clung to him while he carried her to the parlor.

Damon sat her down on the arm of the couch and pulled out of her. She smirked at him and leaned back until she was propped up on her elbows. Damon wet his lips, excited that she knew what to do. He reached down and guided himself back into her. This time, he used his thumb to tease her clit while he rocked in and out of her. Elena tipped her head back at the feel of her oncoming release.

Damon could feel her walls contracting around him as she came for him. He continued to thrust, dragging her orgasm out for as long as he could. When Elena could see straight again, they were in his room.

Elena reached up with one hand and let the fingers sink into his soft black tresses before pulling him down so she could kiss him. As he slowed down, Elena broke the kiss. "Harder!" she hissed. Damon pushed himself up and began thrusting with everything he had. Yet, it wasn't enough. "Harder," she demanded again.

Any harder and he would be using his vampiric strength. He half shrugged and gave Elena exactly what she wanted. Her eyes went wide as the world around her began to spin. She moaned and withered beneath him from the force of her third release. She cried out for him, almost screaming his name. Damon came with her, staying inside of her until the last tremor subsided. He crashed on top of her and reveled in the feel of her chest as it rose and fell against his. When he felt the beat of her heart, he had to remind himself that she was full of vervain; the need to bite her was so overpowering. He was almost tempted to bite her anyway and deal with the consequences later.

When her breathing had regulated, Damon moved to lie on his side and looked at her. "So, what exactly does this mean?"

"It means I don't care what people think," she explained. "I want to be with you. I want people to _know_ that I want to be with you."

"What will you say when people ask what happened?"

She shrugged, "I guess I'll find out."

He frowned at the pout on her face. "Elena?"

"Jenna wants me in school tomorrow and I can't go wearing your things."

He smiled and leaned in to nuzzle her cheek with his. "I'll go get you some clothes while you sleep."

"I think I've done enough sleeping for today," she replied, even as she felt her body relax, already feeling tired again.

"I'm not going to wear you out," he said and kissed her cheek before pulling away to rest his head on his hand. "Your body still needs to rest after, well, everything," he added and grinned at the same time she did.

"Will you wait until after I'm asleep?" she asked sheepishly. She hated to admit that she needed him next to her to be able to fall asleep. The two nights she had spent at Bonnie's had been bad enough, earning her about three or less hours a night.

"Of course," he answered, smirking at her. It was nice to be needed after years of people hating him. His smirk disappeared as she pulled away and got to her feet. "Where are you going?"

"To clean up."

Elena tugged the shirt down even though it fell to the middle of her thighs. She shook her head and laughed silently at herself. She had just slept with him, again, and _now_ she was feeling shy. She walked into the bathroom and stopped at the mirror. She looked at her reflection and smiled, liking what she saw. Admitting her feelings for Damon had brought back the old Elena. He was definitely that piece of the puzzle that had been missing since she had been told that her parents were dead. Even as she smiled, she couldn't help but wonder if it was normal to feel this happy so soon after Stefan leaving and going through the mess with Katherine.

"You okay?" Damon breathed in her ear.

Elena jumped as his arms wrapped around her waist and his head rested on her shoulder. His eyes met hers in the mirror. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"Should I be feeling happy right now?"

His eyes narrowed in confusion. "I'm not following."

"Katherine just tried to kill us and Stefan left. I should be in pieces right now, and yet, I'm smiling."

Damon pressed a kiss onto the curve of her neck and tightened his hold. "That's because I rocked your world."

Elena's smile widened and she shook her head. "You're incorrigible."

He smirked and pressed his cheek against hers. "On a more serious note, your mixed emotions are due to your exhaustion. You're still living off of the adrenaline; it did all happen rather fast. Soon enough, you'll feel the backlash of what happened." He stopped and kissed her cheek. "And I'll be here to help you through it," he vowed.

Elena turned in his arms and put hers around his neck. "You better be," she said and stood on her toes to kiss him playfully. As she pulled back her eyes went wide. "Weren't you making something for me to eat?"

He shrugged, "Trust me, it wasn't worth eating."

"But the stove is still on," she pointed out.

He sighed and stepped back from her. "You clean up here, I'll take care of the kitchen." Elena smiled after him and turned to look in the mirror again. Her smile widened as she realized that everything was going to be okay. With Damon at her side, Elena knew that she could face any curveball that life had to throw at her.


End file.
